Bewitched by the allure of The Tales of Hoffmann and La vie parisienne, it is often forgotten that Offenbach was at first a virtuoso cellist, a verbose composer of so-called serious music as well as the author of a flourish of one-act pieces, each more bizarre than the last.Having directed the works of the most varied librettists, Offenbach explored all genres: peasant farces and fantastic delusions, thwarted love affairs and ridiculous plots, swashbuckling tales and exotic-tasting... A whole universe, yes, but a parallel universe,"conceived solely for the pleasure and thrill of fiction," said Georges Perec. A great joke in which everyone, in the end, does nothing but pretend to be what he or she depicts, and this is also the case with Offenbach himself. The "Mozart of the Champs-Élysées," the "Napoleon of operetta," the cantor of the "Parisian," arrived in France in 1833, from Cologne, the city of carnival and perfumed waters, where his father sang in a synagogue."The idea of the mask, which he carried in his luggage, literally invades his opera", notes Robert Pourvoyeur. "In this France entering the industrial age, it is above all about inspiring confidence and appearing, even before being. Under Napoleon III, from the court to the banks, from the ladies of the world to the parvenu, who called themselves art lovers, few are truly what they claim to be." A thought that René Leibowitz elaborates on with respect to the scores:"It is a music disguised and at the same time a music of disguise: disguise of the characters (...) but also the disguise of melancholy and nostalgia for a lost innocence in the garb of the craziest and most exuberant gaiety."

There are many stories of Croquefer. from one side the great medieval legend, here pleasantly abused for the sake of parody and the joy of anachronisms. On the other, the history of the play itself. In fact, censorship, a legacy of royal privileges, forbids that a play sung from more than four characters be performed outside the theaters of 'opera - a provision that the authors not only ignore but choose to ignore, counting on the benevolence that the ministry has so far accorded them. However, they sin in naivety: the censors in fact object to two days before the performance, and panic spreads. The librettists Jaime and Tréfeu then have the formidable idea of transforming the character of Mousse-à-Mort: it will be said that his tongue has been cut out by the Saracens and his text will be 'yelped' or posted on banners, a method tested by the 18th-century Fair to crush the privileges of the Comédie-Française. Perfect. In this way, the ministry is entertained and at the same time it is understood that underneath the trappings, each story joins the other...

Ten years later, Offenbach presents L'Île de Tulipatan. A decade that made him an unrivaled theater director and the author of stunning hits, which first triumphed to Paris and then were exported to Vienna, London or New York. Without ever interrupting his production, he does not disdain the short fantasies that have enshrined his glory, as attested by this qui pro quo play, which takes place "to 25,000 kilometers from Nanterre, 473 years before the invention of the pot from night." An isolation that allows us to explore, to at will, the confusion of genders, where the exciting grammar of customs is enunciated and where, contrary to all expectations, the feminine often overwhelms the masculine as well. In a world of cross-dressing, this becomes customary: if, in the German tradition, the roles of girls are often embodied by tenors, even with Offenbach we witness to men taking on female roles when they have to play a particularly gruff personality (as in Mesdames de la Halle), or women disguising themselves to prove the worth of men (see Paimpol et Périnette). After a highly successful debut, L'Île de Tulipatan recounts the revenge of nature over all imperfections and finally, the victory of love.

Lola Gruber‍

CHRISTOPHE GRAPPERON

He was an assistant to Marc Minkowski (Manon de Massenet to Monte-Carlo).

Baritone, has worked in numerous vocal ensembles (Diabolus, Sequence 9.3...).

He directs Honegger's Les Aventures du Roi Pausole at the Opéra de Toulon.

At the request of Laurence Equilbey, he is preparing the Accentus chorus.

He has directed all productions of the company Les Brigands since 2007.

THIBAULT PERRINE

He studied with Jean-Claude Raynaud, Thierry Escaich and Jean-François Zygel.

Studied conducting with Nicolas Brochot and Catherine Simonpietri.

He has directed several performances of Dr Ox et Ta Bouche with Les Brigands, to Paris. He has made most of the musical arrangements of Les Brigands since 2003, as well as for the Théâtre du Châtelet(Le Chanteur de Mexico) and the Lyon Opera.

JEAN-PHILIPPE SALÉRIO

In 1985 he did community service at Théâtre Le Rio to Grenoble directed from Yvon Chaix.

Acted with directors Georges Lavaudant, Laurent Pelly, Michel Raskine, Christophe Perton.

From 1995 to 2010 he co-directed with Claire Truche, the company Nième, to Lyon,

He curates stagings for authors Rémi De Vos, Alan Bennett, Sophie Lannefranque, Sergi Belbel...

In 2008 he directed La Cour du roi Pétaud by Léo Delibes for the company Les Brigands.

THIBAUT FACK

He attended the École Boulle in Paris and completed his studies at the National Theater School in Strasbourg.

He signs the set design and costumes for Clément Victor, Pierre Ascaride, Thomas Matalou. He collaborates closely with Yann-Joël Collin(Violences-Reconstitution) and Olivier Py.

In 2007 he staged Berg and Büchner's Woyzeck/Wozzeck at the Odéon (Festival Berthier).

She currently collaborates with Nicolas Kerszenbaum, Cécile Backès & Julia Vidit.

ÉLISABETH DE SAUVERZAC

He works in theater alongside Philippe Adrien, Dominique Lurcel, Christophe Thiry...

She signs costumes for twelve productions for the company Les Brigands (2001-2012). Collaborates with Brontis Jodorowsky to Besançon(Pelléas in 2009 and Rigoletto in 2011).

He participated in the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence with Dmitri Tcherniakov and later with Vincent Boussard (2012).

Collaborates in the artistic activities of the Festival Musica Nigella (Puccini, Janacek, Schubert, Bizet).

JEAN-MARC HOOLBECQ

He took his first steps on the scene alongside choreographer Odile Azagury.

He is an author and collaborator on purely choreographic creations.

He works for the theater with Rochefort, Bozonnet, Podalydès, Bélier-Garcia...

He is a pedagogue at the Studio d'Asnières and the Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique de Paris.

Since 2007 he has taken part to six productions of the Brigands.

FLANNAN OBÉ Croquefer & Hermosa

She studies acting, singing and dance (classical, modern jazz and tap).

A leading element of the Lucienne et les Garçons trio, he received the Spedidam award in 2006.

She appears regularly in film (Klapisch) and television (TV shows and series). Participates to three productions of the company Les Brigands(Lattès, Delibes, Terrasse). Collaborates with Anne Baquet on the writing of Elle était une fois. Collaborates on the text and performs L'Envers du décor.

EMMANUELLE GOIZÉ Boutefeu & Alexis

Since 2001 he has participated to all productions of the company Les Brigands.

For film, she starred in the musical comedy Jeanne et le garçon formidable.

Marc Minkowski invites her to to sing alongside Jessye Norman and Papagena to Madrid.

She plays Lulu de Belleville in Germaine Tillon'sopera Le Verfügbar aux Enfers.

In 2011 he starred in René l'Énervé by Jean-Michel Ribes and in The Gypsy with Les Paladins.

FRANÇOIS ROUGIER Ramasse-ta-tête & Romboïdal

She studied singing with Cécile Fournier and then with Sophie Marin-Degor.

In 2006 he sang the role of Platée with the Atelier des Musiciens of the Louvre, Grenoble.

In 2011 he played Marin(Didon & Enée) and Borsa in Rigoletto at the Besançon Musical Theater.

He regularly collaborates with the Chapelle rhénane & the Ensemble baroque in Toulouse. In January 2013 he joined to be part of the first Académie de l'Opéra-Comique.

EDWIGE BOURDY Fleur-de-Soufre & Théodorine

He studied at the École d'Art lyrique de l'Opéra de Paris and at the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles.

Performs Rameau, Lully and Monteverdi directed from by J. E. Gardiner and René Jacobs. He collaborates regularly with the Péniche Opéra and Mireille Larroche.

In light music she has distinguished herself by: Oh mon bel inconnu, V'lan dans l'œil, les Caf'Conc' Hervé...

He dedicated one of his concerts to Marie Dubas, the brilliant fantasist who lived between the wars.

LOÏC BOISSIER Mousse-à-Mort & Cacatois XXII

He collaborated with Marc Minkowski and in 1996 joined to the Louvre Musicians' Choir.

He is a member of the European Academy of the Aix-en-Provence Festival (2001).

Founded the company Les Brigands and took part in productions directed from Stéphan Druet.

He opens his company to that of the 26000 couverts, to Johanny Bert and then to Pierre Guillois.

He directed the Besançon Musical Theater (2008-2012) where, however, he did not appear on stage.

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