Covers:
La Périchole	a street singer	mezzo-soprano	Olivia Ray	Helen Evora
Guadalena	Proprietresses of the 3 Cousins Tavern	soprano	Claire McKenna	Claire Wright*
Berginella		soprano	Lisa Swayne	Denise Miles*
Mastrilla		mezzo-soprano	Helen Evora	Alyson Denza*
Piquillo	A street singer, Périchole's partner	tenor	Philip O’Brien	Tom Bullard
Don Andres de Ribeira	The Viceroy	baritone	Dominic Barrand	Graham Case
Don Pedro de Hinoyosa	Governor of Lima	baritone	Sam Queen	Nikos Painezis
Count Panatellas	First Gentleman of the Bedchamber	tenor	Stuart Haycock	Liam Hook*
Manuelita	Maids of Honour	soprano	Claire McKenna	Alyson Denza*
Frasquinella		soprano	Lisa Swayne	Catherine Garner*
Brambilla		soprano	Helen Evora	Patricia Lambert*
1st Notary		tenor	Anthony Ramsden*
2nd Notary		baritone	Paul Ives*
Tarapote	Major-Domo to the Viceroy	spoken role	David Swayne*
Marquis de Santarem	An old Prisoner	spoken role	John Braithwaite*
			*denotes chorus member

The Opera South Chorus

Chorus of Peruvians, Indians, Spaniards, Maids-of-Honour, Courtiers, Soldiers, Guards, etc.

Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra

About La Périchole

During the second empire, Offenbach’s new creation operetta, or “opera bouffe”, took Paris by storm. His best works abound with satire, wit, dance, and above all a procession of memorable melodies. After the huge success of Orpheus in the Underworld and La Belle Helene, both based on mythological subjects, in 1868 Offenbach chose to set his new operetta, La Périchole, in far-off Lima.

The action takes place in Lima, Peru, during the time of Spanish rule in the eighteenth century.

Although Peru may be a remote location, for his Paris audience the characters and the situations were instantly recognizable. We meet two street singers, La Périchole and Piquillo, who become involved in the amorous adventures of the Spanish Viceroy and his court. Although the plot has elements of farce and satire, the story also contains much romance and sentiment. Yet above all it was Offenbach’s wonderful melodies that the Paris audience adored.

After well over a century, it is certain that our audience too will leave the show “whistling the tunes”.