In the wake of their previous productions (Véronique Gens’ recital of Passion, one-act operas by Rameau and Bury, and sacred music by Charpentier and Desmarest), Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas and his ensemble now conclude their joint residency project with an original production of Médée et Jason, a parody of the often-staged myth of Medea and Jason. Towards the end of the reign of Louis XIV, parody dramas appeared in fairground theatres and rapidly became very popular with Parisian audiences. They set to ridicule serious works, particularly operas, openly satirising playwrights, artists and stage designers as well as the public themselves. They often contained social, political and religious criticism, used risqué vocabulary and puns and exposed the foibles of contemporary society with delightful irreverence. This production is based on historical texts, notably by Carolet and Romagnesi, and on research findings by Françoise Rubellin, Judith le Blanc and from the invaluable Theaville research tool. Les Surprises will regale you with this parody of previous Medée operas, notably that of Marc-Antoine Charpentier, admirably staged by director Pierre Lebon.