The fifth Stephen Sondheim musical to be presented at Châtelet, this work is taken from a book by a 19th century Italian writer telling “the story of a man who falls in love with an ugly woman, despite her ugliness, which he cannot bear” (Umberto Eco). Sondheim looked for a balance between “the familiar theatricality of a musical and the extravagant flamboyance of an opera,” thus creating a work which turns out to be a lyrical jewel. Based on the film Passione d’Amore by Ettore Scola (1981).