About the work
Ba-ta-clan is a one-act opéra bouffe billed as a 'musical chinoiserie', composed by Jacques Offenbach to a libretto by Ludovic Halévy. It premiered on 29 December 1855 at the newly founded Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens in Paris.
Plot
A fictional Chinese empire is secretly ruled by three French exiles who speak an invented pseudo-Chinese language to hide their real origin. When a young mandarin and a princess, themselves disguised French exiles, discover their shared background and plan to flee, they face arrest and a death sentence.
Cultural significance
A French tune finally exposes everyone's true nationality, prompting the emperor to abandon his throne and return home with them. The piece pokes fun at the era's taste for chinoiserie and ranks among the early hits of the Bouffes-Parisiens.