In 1993, Opera Zuid performed the Dutch premiere of L'Étoile. Thirty-plus years later, the shrewd comedy by the relatively unknown Emmanuel Chabrier returns to the Opera Zuid stage.

Every year, King Ouf I looks forward to his self-imposed birthday present: having a random subject executed. This year, the choice falls on the cheeky peddler Lazuli. However, court astrologer Siroco warns the king: Ouf's star is closely linked to Lazuli's. So if he dies, Ouf dies. Of course, his majesty will not let that happen: Lazuli's life is protected at all costs. He is pampered handsomely and eventually even gets to marry the princess!

Is L'Étoile a fairy tale? A political parody? Existential satire? It is everything at once.

This absurdity forms the basis of L'Étoile: a witty, socially critical opera. This Opéra Bouffe veers between light-hearted comedy, black humour and sharp satire. Chabri's music is as surprising as the plot: a playful mix of sparkling melodies, impressionistic tones and understated darkness, in which the influence of Jacques Offenbach shines through and even points ahead to Kurt Weill. With musical inventions such as a "tickling trio" and a "sneezing aria", Chabrier perfectly captures the madness of power and human folly.

Is L'Étoile a fairy tale? A political parody? Existential satire? It is everything at once. In any case, it holds up a distorting mirror to us, astutely exposing the arbitrariness of power, the folly of fate and the transience of existence.