Production for rent: Lakmé

In newly colonised India, a British officer's crush on a Brahmin's daughter stirs up communal tensions, against a backdrop of folk festivals and wilderness.

Inspired by Pierre Loti, Léo Delibes used the resources of orientalist opera in a boldly contemporary plot: an impossible passion, the musical evocation of a distant civilisation, the confrontation of religious fanaticism and sensuality. 

“The exoticism of Lakmé seems to me mostly a mask. I want to stage the drama of love, the clash of cultures... I think of Romeo and Juliet, a love story between two opposing camps. To strip the subject like a stone that is being polished. The exoticism of Lakmé is above all a pretext for a grand spectacle, that of an India dreamed of and fantasised about by the Europeans. Moreover, opera in France in the second half of the 19th century could not be compared to anything but American blockbusters."

Laurent Pelly, director
 

“Laurent Pelly's new production on the stage where Lakmé was born turns its back on tradition. Here, there are no colourful costumes, no Hindu thrills, no devouring forests [...]. An attractive option, with superb images [...], one that disembodies the story, sometimes creating a distance from the characters and the plot itself.”

Transfuge, 05 octobre 2022, Nicolas d'Estienne d'Orve

“Laurent Pelly's staging is stripped down and at the service of the score to shake off the work's kitschy reputation.”

RTS.ch - Espace 2, 05 octobre 2022, David Christoffe

“With Laurent Pelly at the helm, the new Lakmé is presented as universal, without Hindu references but with the pure and tribal dimension that sees the Brahmin's daughter locked in a cage. The ballets have been cut, the kitsch is seriously reduced and the emotional dimension of the work predominates.”

RTBF.be - Musiq 3, 04 octobre 2022, François Jonge

Number of Principals: 9 + 3 members of the choir
Chorus / parts (S/A/T/B): 27 (9/5/6/7) 
Extras: 8

Instrumentation
57
10.8.6.7.3 / 2.2.2.2 / 4.2.3.0 / 1 timp + 3 perc + 1 ophicleid + 1 harp

Volume of the production
Set and props 2 containers

Other info
Last performed : Opéra-Comique, 2022
Coproduction : Opéra National du Rhin, Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur
Revivals in 2023-2024 at Opera du Rhin and Opéra Nice