The fifth Stephen Sondheim musical to bepresented at Châtelet, this work is taken froma book by a 19th century Italian writer telling“the story of a man who falls in love withan ugly woman, despite her ugliness, whichhe cannot bear” (Umberto Eco). Sondheimlooked for a balance between “the familiartheatricality of a musical and the extravagantflamboyance of an opera,” thus creating awork which turns out to be a lyrical jewel.Based on the film Passione d’Amore byEttore Scola (1981).