About the work
Operetta in three acts by André Messager, to a libretto by Albert Vanloo and Georges Duval, first performed on 16 November 1897 at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens in Paris.
Plot
Two girls of different social backgrounds are switched as infants during bathing and grow up as supposed sisters in the Michu family's laundry business. When a marriage looms years later, the unresolved question of their true identities fuels complications over first loves and social standing.
Cultural significance
With Parisian stage stars Alice Bonheur and Odette Dulac in the title roles, the work was an immediate success, ran for over 150 performances in Paris and was staged internationally, including some 400 performances in London.