A contemporary of Saint-Saëns, Emmanuel Chabrier was an independent-minded and important innovator—many saw him as having paved the way for French modernism. With his comic opera The King in Spite of Himself, he succeeded in creating a sophisticated and forward-looking piece. This stylish and elegant production from the 2012 Bard SummerScape festival as directed by Thaddeus Strassberger features a first-rate cast and endlessly inventive and colorful sets and costumes.

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