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Palo Alto Online

Comedy Central

by Laura Reiley

P art "Friends" episode, part Three Stooges, with maybe a splash of Shakespearean comedy. If you listen carefully, that's how the cast and crew of "La Perichole" seem to want to describe Jacques Offenbach's lesser-known operetta.

Now in its 47th season, West Bay Opera stages this zany French farce beginning tonight -- a premiere for the Palo Alto-based company -- and these seasoned opera veterans couldn't be more tickled.

"The biggest challenge has been not cracking up and dropping character on stage," said Layna Chianakas, who plays the title role. "La Perichole is just so fun, and it entertains just like musical theater. It is a great first opera for people who are unfamiliar with the art form."

It's easy to see why. First staged in Paris in 1868, the operetta has the kind of screwball plot that seems fresh even today.

Here are the basics: La Perichole and her partner, Piquillo, are struggling to make a living as street singers. The Viceroy of Peru invites the singing hottie to be one of his ladies-in-waiting. But for some mysterious reason, she must be married. So, one drunken night she and Piquillo tie the knot. The next day, with a throbbing headache, Piquillo does not remember the marriage. (Wasn't this actually a "Friends" episode?)

But maybe the rest of the story should come from Piquillo himself, played by Brent Colby, an itinerant opera singer who has come to West Bay Opera from New York).

"I don't realize that I've married the girl that I love," Colby said. "I feel like she's been cheating on me, so I fly into a rage. I am thrown in prison; Perichole comes to find me and we decide to escape. The Viceroy tricks us, locks us both up, and a fellow prisoner picks the locks. We capture the Viceroy, but then we're captured."

Phew. Got that?

"The story is pretty simple, but it is so enjoyable -- you just smile," Colby said. "My character is the ultimate goof. I think audiences will be tickled by how much this is like a musical. It's very accessible, fun and light, not at all highbrow."

Stage director Daniel Helfgot elaborated further on its appeal.

"We are using an English edition with an irreverent approach to language -- very much what drove Offenbach and his librettist: a direct hit at audiences' aesthetics and expectations.

"I've wanted to direct this operetta for a long time. I have directed it in the past and felt that I was ready to re-explore it -- the rich, melodic imagination of Offenbach, his relentless love for farce, his ways of social criticism. It's been a favorite of mine for years."

Still, after all the praise for La Perichole's hilarity and hi-jinks, the cast has a few complaints about the work.

"If you're doing farce it takes a lot of physical energy and a lot of stamina, too," said Michael Morris of San Jose, who sings the role of Don Pedro. "For three hours you're pretty 'up.' Two of us even got hurt last night in rehearsal."

Colby agreed.

"My role is vocally demanding -- I must sing very low and very high -- but at the same time I'm running around the stage, getting thrown around by other people. There's lots of fighting."

Set in Lima, Peru, the operetta's staging and costuming reflect the lush colors and textures evocative of such an exotic locale. And the music, by all accounts, is delightful.

Helfgot summed up his hope for this production: "When you admire a composer, the challenge is to honor his legacy."

Now, no one's ever said that about a "Friends" episode.

What: West Bay Opera presents "La Perichole" in English with supertitles. Composed by Jacques Offenbach, with libretto by Henry Meilhac and Ludovic HalÈvy, "La Perichole" will mark a West Bay Opera premiere.

Where: Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto

When: Tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., as well as May 30-31 at 8 p.m. and June 1 at 2 p.m.

Cost: Tickets are $42, with a special $21 youth ticket (for those under 18) for Sunday matinees only.

Info: Call (650) 424-9999 or visit www.wbopera.org.