Opera Lafayette is a top-notch historical ensemble from D.C., specializing in baroque and classical operas performed with period instruments. Its current production is a modern debut of a by-now-forgotten opéra-comique from the debauched final decades of the Bourbon monarchy. Le Roi et le Fermier (The King and the Farmer) is the company's first fully staged opera—with props, lighting design and everything, said conductor Ryan Brown—and it’s generated sufficient interest that they even snagged an invite to perform at the royal theater of Versailles, using the same sets as when Marie Antoinette starred in it in 1780. Not bad for a bunch of hometown kids.

However this raises the bar in a few respects, language being one. Opera Lafayette has traditionally focused more on the the music side of things and less on the theatrics. And unlike most operas, opéras-comiques tend to have a fair amount of spoken dialogue. In the past, Opera Lafayette delivered dialogue and narration in English while singing in the original French. For Le Roi, the troupe gets around the language issue by trotting out a couple of real life French people to deliver the spoken parts while the singers mime between arias. It works, more or less.

Le Roi is a historical curiosity: It was one of the first comic operas to feature the king as a character. To do so in absolutist France might have been considered sacrilege; however the English, even before Charles and Camilla, were light years ahead of the French in not taking their royal family seriously. So Michel-Jean Sedaine, basing his libretto on Robert Dodsley’s play The King and the Miller of Mansfield, made all the characters English and thereby got to keep his head.

The plot, such as it is, hinges on that favorite trope of everyone from the ancient Greeks to Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, the undercover boss. Richard, royal inspector of Sherwood Forest, is distressed by the abduction of his fiancée Jenny by the wicked Lord Lurewel. Then Jenny shows up, having escaped. Then the king shows up, but Richard doesn’t recognize him. But Richard is nice to him and invites him over for dinner. Then Lord Lurewel shows up, and the king, now revealed, scolds Lurewel and magnanimously pays Jenny’s dowry.

It’s light stuff, but at its Kennedy Center debut Saturday, Opera Lafayette’s cast did a terrific job drawing out Le Roi’s simple charms. Sopranos Dominique Labelle, as Jenny, and Yulia Van Doren, as Richard’s sister Betsy, have a wonderful dynamic; in their duets, Van Doren’s plucky voice dances over and under Labelle’s steady intonation. Baritone William Sharp, as Richard, is conspicuously old to play the part of the naïve young lover. This happens a lot in opera, and is explained away as a need for singers to mature into their voices. But when Opera Lafayette has Thomas Dolié, a younger baritone with a richer timbre, stuck in a minor role, that’s really no excuse. The orchestra, for its part, gives its all to Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny’s score on their outmoded instruments. The valveless horns at times sound like strangled geese but, by the looks of them, you can’t blame the musicians.

She should have stuck with opera

It’s sometimes unclear how much of the opera’s humor derives from the original libretto and how much is from the anachronisms: the excessive simpering, the Raggedy-Ann makeup and powdered wigs. True to their mission, Opera Lafayette plays it straight, although the narration winks at Le Roi’s lesson in deference. We may love to see the boss put on overalls and get his nails dirty, but the message is clear: He’s always watching, so you better be on your best behavior. It’s a joke even a despot could love.

Opera Lafayette will present Le Roi et le Fermier at Lincoln Center in New York on Thursday and the Royal Opera in Versailles on Saturday, Feb. 4 and Sunday, Feb. 5. Tickets $25-$65 for New York; 45€–120€ for Versailles.

Photo: Louis Forget

Oof: So, who dropped the ball during Sunday night's Giants/49ers game? The Washington Post says in some parts of the Washington market, several commercials for Comcast's Xfinity package played at random points throughout the NFC championship game, including during one particularly critical play. Who's to blame? WTTG, says Comcast.

Down by Law: Members of a local graffiti group, KGB, were convicted earlier this month on charges of destruction of  property, Prince of Petworth relays. (We discussed KGB in a cover story in September.) Most of the crew got a heaping helping of probation, fines, and community service, in lieu of immediate jail time; PoP commenters are irate.

Swan Song: Melody Records may be closing indefinitely, but its tunes live on: Employees submitted playlists of their favorite artists to WaPo's arts blog. Listen online; weep privately.

Joshua Bell knows this. He’s perfected his nice-guy image for years now. He dresses down, smiles a lot, goes by Josh. He plays pranks: In D.C., he will always be known as The Guy Who Played the Violin in the Metro. He probably even is a nice guy. And it works. He’s been on several movie soundtracks, including The Red Violin, Angels and Demons, and most recently the Chinese epic Flowers of War. He’s been called the best violinist in the world, but what does that really mean? There are probably hundreds of people who are technically as good as Bell at the violin. Some may be better. But they don’t hang out in Hollywood with Sting. Bell spoke with Arts Desk ahead of his performance tonight at the Kennedy Center.

“There are so many factors that go into being a successful soloist,” says Bell. “You have to be good at playing your instrument, of course. It takes hard work and discipline. But there are so many ‘X’ factors that go into what makes an audience want to come back.”

Like what?

“You have to hone a certain temperament and personality. You have to put your heart on your sleeve and put yourself out there.” For Bell at least, this comes naturally: “I was a shy kid growing up, but as a performer, I was never shy.”

What about the work?

“You have to endure a grueling schedule, and thrive on that kind of pressure to want to have a long career as a musician. I just happen to love it.”

Washington Performing Arts Society presents Joshua Bell with pianist Sam Haywood at 8 p.m. tonight at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW, performing sonatas for violin and piano by Mendelssohn, Brahms, Ravel, and Ysaye and preludes by Gershwin. $45-$115. (800) 444-1324.

Photo courtesy Washington Performing Arts Society

A Love Song for Bobby: TBD goes behind the counter at Black Cat's Food for Thought, run by Bobby Ferrando, the father of club owner Dante Ferrando.

The Day the Music Died: The final D.C. Jazz Loft show at Red Door is upon us!

Yesterday on Arts Desk: The Washington National Opera finally gets its Ring (Cycle). Thank you, papa Kennedy Center.

Now, the dividends of the WNO’s merger with the Kennedy Center are paying off in the form of a $10 million budget boost in 2016, when the company announced today it will finally put on the complete series. Francesca Zambello, the creator of the “American Ring” concept and longtime WNO collaborator, has been named the company’s artistic advisor, an ambiguous position that suggests a transition to a permanent one. She’s committed to direct the four part cycle as well as at least one production per year going forward.

Perhaps more interesting is the New American Works project the company has also unveiled: a commissioning program to develop shorter new operas written by emerging composers and librettists. The idea is to give young artists the backing to develop grander productions than they might not otherwise get to do straight out of conservatory. The new works, which will be just 20 minutes long and focus on a contemporary American theme, will be presented at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. Hour-long and full-length new operas are envisioned for the future. Additionally, the WNO says it will stage one family-friendly holiday opera each year.

For all the hype leading up to its non-realization, the Ring Cycle had become emblematic of the troubled state of the WNO in the Plácido Domingo era: big ambitions without the resources to match them. Finally putting on this very expensive series will give the WNO some sort of closure. But it also doesn’t quite jibe with the WNO’s supposedly leaner and humbler post-bailout mission. Will it all be worth it in the end? We’ll have a while to find out.

Style Wars: Arts Post, the Washington Post's kind of scattershot but increasingly solid arts blog, is now The Style Blog, which closed Friday with some news from the paper's visual arts critic, Phil Kennicott: A $500,000 slate of public art projects will take place during the Cherry Blossom Festival this spring. The increasingly strained D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities is footing the bill; there are 25 artists selected by five curators, and the projects will stretch across the city.

Quick Hits: KenCen drops Pal Joey from its season after the musical's director has a scheduling conflict, replaces it with a Kander and Ebb revue. John Kelly laments the closing of Melody Records and Penn Camera. The Phillips Collection's blog makes a connection between The Artist and a very chipper painting of a stage actor in the museum's collection.

Today on Arts Desk: "Reverb & Echo" at Studio Gallery.

Do something about the seeing Billy Elliot part, not the American Democrat part, or the part about sending holiday greetings to an octogenarian former British prime minister.
Billy Elliot, a musical adaptation of Stephen Daldry’s 2000 film, is in residence at the Kennedy Center through Jan. 15, but don’t let the holiday sweet-spot in the theatrical calendar fool you into thinking the show about a blue-collar boy who longs to be a ballet dancer is fluff family entertainment. This is a musical that relies on abstract narratives to tell a story, labor movements to forward the plot, and a giant Maggie Thatcher puppet for the big song and dance number. Actual refrain: "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher/We all celebrate today/'Cause it's one day closer to your death."

Cheery stuff, eh?

It was Elton John who first approached screenwriter Lee Hall with the idea for a musical. The theatrical adaptation opened in London in 2005. Four years later, the New York production won the Tony Award for best musical. The show is set to close Jan. 8 after a solid three-year run. The national tour launched in October 2010, and took its merry old time getting to D.C. But it was worth the wait to have the show home at the Opera House for the holidays.

Billy Elliot hardly looks road weary. That’s largely due to the boundless energy of the four adolescent boys who take turns in the staring role. As is often the case on tours, the supporting actors are a bit subpar to their Broadway peers, and the Kennedy Center tech team is facing its usual challenges balancing vocals and the pit orchestra. But theatrically, there are actually a few improvements. Simpler rolling sets signify the Elliots' house, requiring a bit more imagination from the audience. The over-the-top cross-dressing tap scene no longer features 20-foot-tall dancing mannequins. (Thank God.) And the Christmas party scene at the union hall is more convincing now that the set designers have a smaller budget to play with.

J.P. Viernes (my very charming Billy on Dec. 21) is as good a child actor as you will ever see, and plays Billy without precocious pretense. He’s thoroughly believable as a frustrated kid who infuriates his father by skipping out of his boxing class to take ballet. His mum’s been dead for years, and his father and brother are too busy protesting the privatization of coal mines to pay him much mind. When Billy’s banned from dancing, the quasi-dream sequence that follows shows just how far theater has evolved since the days of Oklahoma and Agnes de Mille. Punk guitar chords channel The Clash as Billy takes his anger out of the floor. Tap shoes replace ballet slippers, riot police replace farmhands.

There’s a lot going on in this musical, but fundamentally, Billy is a story about family. What makes it great family theater, as opposed to family entertainment, is that it’s never sentimental. Just when the show gets poignant, someone starts throwing punches. Mature themes—including sexuality, class, and socialism—are woven in such that a parent can discuss as much or as little as they wish. It’s unfortunate that the Kennedy Center is recommending the show for ages 12 and up; the 6-year-old in front of me was sporting a mohawk and totally engrossed. Grandma appeared to be having a great time too.

That’s not to say you need a kid in tow to enjoy Billy Elliot. But if you happen to have a spare $100 and nephew who can sit still for two hours, grab him and go. You just might have to explain why Billy’s best friend likes wearing dresses. But that will be easy compared to explaining to your sister why the kid came home singing “Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher!”

Just tell her it’s catchy.

Billy Elliot the Musical is on stage at the Kennedy Center Opera House to Jan. 15. $25-$150.

Gray says that $1 million will be committed to physical upgrades to the theater. After an initial three- to four-month renovation period, the venue will be prepared to roll out much-needed arts programming, though few present offered any meaty details. Thomas, along with Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser and D.C. Film Office head Crystal Palmer, were on hand to discuss potential film and Kennedy Center partnerships in fairly vague terms. But in a nutshell, they say future programming at Lincoln could include 1) more partnerships with Landmark Theatres, which has already brought a four-week run of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo to Lincoln, 2) additional partnerships with movie chains AMC and Regal, 3) co-presentations with the Kennedy Center, 4) a second run of Arena Stage's Sophisticated Ladies (a hit there in 2010), 5) and a production by the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Most plans are still up in the air, and Thomas says the commission is in talks with arts groups about these and other ideas.

According to Thomas and Gray, programming at Lincoln will reflect the overall history and diversity of U Street NW. When a reporter from the Washington Afro-American asked pointedly whether the Lincoln was going to become yet another "white theater," Gray responded that it would be open to anyone who chooses to patronize it. The overarching goal, says Gray, is to create a "consistent arts identity"—something Lincoln has struggled to build in the years since it reopened to the public.

Running the theater, in total, will cost the city between $1.7 million and $2 million annually, Thomas says. Responding to a reporter's question, Gray said turning a profit would be nice, but right now, the priority is to simply pay the theater's bills.

Meanwhile, the search continues for a new board, staff, and an executive director to replace outgoing director Eilene Lifsey.

Photo by Flickr user Steve Snodgrass used under a creative commons license.

Oh, the horror: Washington Post reporter Emily Wax files a story from the 20th annual Glynn Jackson Golden Scissors Awards—also known as the Black Oscars of hair—which took place in Silver Spring over the weekend. The show's namesake is proud of what he's achieved on a small budget, though this year's production was not without minor snags. “The big girls came on­­­stage and were not wearing Spanx," he says.

Adrian Parsons alert: He's everywhere.

Today on Arts Desk: Saying goodbye to Artisphere's Salsa Tuesdays?

Times are tough for arts organizations everywhere, but the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has found a promising new revenue stream: oligarchs. Last week, America’s temple to the arts announced a generous gift of $5 million from the Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin, one of the wealthiest men in the world. The tradeoff? Potanin gets his name etched in marble at the Kennedy Center, which is also renaming its Golden Circles Lounge the Russian Lounge.

That’s not a bad deal! In fact, Kennedy Center head Michael Kaiser may want to look into some additional retrofits, at least if he’s interested in attracting more rubles from this notoriously ostentatious class. Some suggestions:

* Cessa landing strip on the roof

* Damien Hirst shark-in-formaldehyde sculpture (to replace that tacky JFK bust!)

* Exclusivity measures in the Russian Lounge: bottle service and “feiskontrol”

* Adjoining bodyguard lounge

* Valet for insanely tiny dog breeds

* Polonium detector

* Separate coat check for furs

* Introduction of sturgeon to the Potomac River

Photo by Flickr user Daniel Lobo, attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0). Illustration by Brooke Hatfield