Waiting for the New “La Vie parisienne” from Palazzetto Bru Zane

Yesterday a long-awaited recording arrived on my desk-top. ‘Long-awaited’? Of course. The latest from the firm of Bru Zane, the greatest of French musical theatre organisations of our era, and the producers of the La Fille de Madame Angot which I went into delirium over a few years back. (Read more about it here.)

So, what was it this time. Chilpéric? Geneviève de Brabant? No. La Vie parisienne. Again? There have been soooo many recordings of La Vie parisienne over the years. But here is the twist in the tale. Soon after its Paris opening, the piece was largely trimmed. In fact, slimmed of a whole episode, and reduced from five acts to four. And in that shape it is still played in France.

So, what happened to the other act? Well, some countries and theatres kept it in. In what form I know not. But at home it suffered the usual fate of off-cuts until — following the 21st-century mania for sticking back in that which the authors, in their wisdom, cut out — it was reconstructed and … well was it ‘in their wisdom’ or not? Now we can judge for ourselves, for Bru Zane, in their wisdom have given us the whole five acts.

Well, a quarter of a century ago I wrote in my Musical Theatre on Record: ‘La Vie parisienne, by its nature, needs to be recorded in its entirety. The play, in this case, is every bit as important as the music, and one without the other is rather like a half-baked cake. Unfortunately, it cannot be said that there is as yet any recording which manages to marry happily the comedy and the music’.

Maybe, this time?

(Opens booklet)

Cry of joy. The two outstanding artists from La Fille de Madame Angot are here again. Mlle Gillet – in the role written for Zulma Bouffar, the only ‘singer’ in the original cast – and Mons Sargsyan are once more before us in major roles.

Time to press the ‘go’ button. Well, a think a nice bottle of French wine might go well with this.

The review will follow, soon. To read the story of the show’s international success, click here for more details.