Giroflé-Girofla

Giroflé-Girofla is an opéra bouffe in three acts of 1874 with music by Charles Lecocq. The French libretto was by Albert Vanloo and Eugène Leterrier.

The opera was first presented at the Théâtre des Fantaisies Parisiennes, Brussels, on 21 March 1874. It opened at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, Paris, on 11 November 1874 with Jeanne Granier in the title role and Jolly returning to his creator's role from Brussels. The first production at the Renaissance ran for over 200 performances up to the following October. The Brussels company took Giroflé-Girofla to London where it had its first performance on 6 June 1874; an English version was premiered in London on 3 October 1874.

Its popularity soon spread to Berlin in 1874, then Sydney, Buenos Aires, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and New York in 1875.

Traubner states that Giroflé-Girofla "marked a sudden return to pure nonsense... Lecocq’s fertile invention (particularly in the ensembles) was formidable".

Setting : Spain around 1250

Don Boléro, governor of the province, but governed by his domineering wife Aurore, has two identical twin daughters, Giroflé and Girofla (played by the same singer); so as to distinguish the pair, they are dressed respectively in blue and pink. Don Boléro is in debt to the Marasquin Bank in Cadiz, and therefore unable to raise an army against the marauding moor Mourzouk, attacking from Granada. Aurore has arranged advantageous weddings for the twins; Giroflé to the son of Marasquin and Girofla to the bachelor pirate, hoping thus to solve both the pressing problems.

Preparations for the weddings are taking place as the curtain rises, with the bridesmaids in the colours of each bride, while the two daughters ask their mother for marital guidance.

The apprentice chef warns the girls not to stray too far or the pirates who roam the coastline will seize them both and take them off to a harem. The son of Marasquin turns out to be nice young man; the moor, however, pleads a toothache and defers his appearance. But the marriage cannot be

postponed, and it is love at first sight for Giroflé, who hurries off with her new fiancé. Now a gang of pirates creep on and Girofla is seized. Pedro goes to protect her but they are bundled onto a ship bound for Constantinople. Boléro and Aurore are appalled, and worried about the reaction of the moor. Mourzouk arrives and demands his immediate wedding. Giroflé is told that she must wed a second time, and dons a pink ribbon...

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Wikipedia