Jacques Offenbach was well-known in his time, but his popularity only increased with La belle Hélène. Performed worldwide following its December 17, 1864 premiere at the Théatre des Variétés, this parody of Greco-Latin antiquity (similar to Orphée aux enfers, 1855) satirizes the reign of Napoleon III. Who better than this Corsetti-Sorin duet could highlight and stage the play on words, flashes of wit and other anachronisms abound in the libretto? Having satirized a Rossini opera (La pietra del paragone), they pursue their theatre of illusion in the style of Méliès. Twelve years after Laurent Pelly's version, conducted by Marc Minkowski, La belle Hélène returns in a new production.