Robinson Crusoé (Offenbach)

Robinson Crusoé is an opéra comique, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Eugène Cormon and Hector-Jonathan Crémieux, which was loosely adapted from the novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, though the work owes more to British pantomime than to the book itself.

Robinson Crusoé was first staged at the Opéra-Comique (Salle Favart), on 23 November 1867 with Vendredi, the 'Man Friday' role, sung by Célestine Galli-Marié, later to achieve fame as the first Carmen. Despite a positive reception by the public and press, no professional theatre played the work after its premiere until 1973 at the Camden Festival. In 1983 it was staged and toured by Kent Opera; Opera della Luna's 1994 production of the work also played at the Iford Arts Festival in 2004. Ohio Light Opera produced the work in 1996.

At the Crusoe family home in Bristol, Sunday tea is served. Robinson confides in Toby that he has booked them both to South America, but he is overheard by Toby's fiancée, Suzanne. Robinson decides to go to sea alone, seeking fortune for himself, for Edwige and his family.

Six years later, on a desert island at the mouth of the Orinoco (after having been captured by pirates), Robinson has only one companion, Friday, whom he rescued just as he was being sacrificed to the gods by the cannibal tribe on the island. Robinson dreams of Edwige, and tries in vain to explain all this to Friday.

Elsewhere on the island, Edwige, along with Suzanne and Toby have arrived to look for Robinson, although their ship was also attacked by pirates and they were set adrift. Toby and Suzanne, captured by the cannibals, are presented to the cannibals' chef, who turns out to be from Bristol (where he had run away from years before), Jim Cocks. He tells them that they will be the cannibals' meal that evening. At sunset, Edwige is brought in by natives, who believe that she is a white goddess because of her fair looks. Friday spies all this, but falls in love with Edwige. When the fire is lit, he lets off Robinson's pistol, the natives flee, and he rescues Edwige, Suzanne, Toby and Jim Cocks.

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