‘Posh people always make me feel so stupid,” sings Piquillo as he surveys the formally dressed audience seated before him in Garsington Opera’s Wormsley pavilion. Piquillo and his girl friend La Périchole are itinerant street singers, and they have turned up in a Peruvian town hoping to earn a crust. They fail to make any money, however, so La Périchole falls into the clutches of a nattily dressed ‘doctor’, who promises a square meal. But, alas, alarm bells don’t ring when the doctor lists the advantages of his profession: “It means that all the ladies trust me . . . I like to look them over”.

So begins the storyline of La Périchole. It’s splendidly silly stuff, but librettists Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy built in a darker satirical and sexual exploitation angle as well. Offenbach added one of his best scores: he was a master of recycling, so not every tune is brand new, but Périchole is particularly well endowed with catchy waltzes.

This is Garsington’s first foray into Offenbach, and they have done the old boy proud with a stylish, big-budget production. Francis O’Connor’s massive set design evokes a colourful street scene, which miraculously didn’t need any enhancement from the lighting rig on opening night, for real sunlight flooded in through the transparent auditorium walls.

The show opens with a big company number, as a large and exuberant crowd drinks outside the Three Cousins bar. This immediately revealed that director Jeremy Sams (whose characteristically witty English translation is used) has injected much enthusiasm, plus pin-sharp ensemble movement and singing, into the chorus, while Tim Jackson has added some equally witty choreography. The roles of the Three Cousins themselves, bar proprietors of indeterminate vintage but sparky manner, provide eagerly seized cameo parts for Jennifer Rhys-Davies, Diana Montague, and Fiona Kimm.

Naomi O’Connell and Robert Murray are unbeatable in the principal roles of La Périchole and Piquillo. Their sometimes tempestuous relationship is beautifully observed, and their singing is a joy to listen to. This is O’Connell’s UK operatic debut, and she’s very definitely a name to watch.

In support, Simon Butteriss and Geoffrey Dolton are appropriately vain as the Governor of Lima and the Viceroy of Peru, while Mark Wilde is a suitably manipulative First Lord of the Bedchamber.

Until July 3. Call 01865 361636 for information on returned tickets.