L'Epreuve Villageoise presented by Opera Lafayette at The Kennedy Center

An opera set in rural Louisiana doesn't come along too often, but you'll get to see one at Opera Lafayette's production of L'Épreuve Villageoise ("The Village Trial") at the Kennedy Center. Re-envisioning this delightful 18th-century French work as a touring production from New Orleans' earliest opera house, the company sets its tale of two women out to settle the score with two amorous suitors in a Cajun village. There, the mischievous antics of a country belle and her mother come to vivid life as the stage explodes with on-stage musicians, delightful period costumes, folk-inspired dances and the opera's charming music by the great French composer André Grétry.