Becoming a Princess (Jennifer France) - Fantasio

Performances
14, 16, 22, 27 June 2019
5, 8, 11, 17, 20 July 2019
Start time 6.05pm
Interval: 90 minutes
Finish time: 10pm

Pre-performance Talk
Sunday 16 June, 4.30pm

Fantasio is a melancholy, moon-struck dreamer who yearns after an unreachable princess. Can he win her over with his disguise as her beloved jester and fulfil his promise to prevent her arranged marriage to the prince? Secret encounters and mistaken identities are eventually, and sometimes unexpectedly, resolved.

Offenbach was known for his witty and catchy melodies, poking fun at the establishment in tuneful scores of dazzling charm. Celebrating the composer’s bicentenary in 2019, we present the UK stage premiere of this enchanting and gently poignant opera in a specially commissioned new English translation by Jeremy Sams.

We welcome Hanna Hipp (Capriccio, 2018) in the title role, Jennifer France (Le nozze di Figaro, 2017) as Princess Elsbeth and director Martin Duncan (Il turco in Italia, 2017) with conductor Justin Doyle making his Garsington debut.

Sung in English with English supertitles.

Fantasio
Hanna Hipp
Princess Elsbeth
Jennifer France
Prince of Mantua
Huw Montague Rendall
Marinoni
Timothy Robinson
King of Bavaria
Graeme Broadbent
Flamel
Bianca Andrew
Sparck
Benjamin Lewis
Hartmann
Joseph Padfield
Facio
Joel Williams
Conductor
Justin Doyle
Director
Martin Duncan
Designer
Francis O’Connor
Lighting Designer
Howard Hudson
Movement Director
Ewan Jones
Garsington Opera Orchestra & Chorus
June 2019
Friday 14 June
Sunday 16 June
Saturday 22 June
Thursday 27 June
July 2019
Friday 5 July
Monday 8 July
Thursday 11 July
Wednesday 17 July
Saturday 20 July