Comic capers are very much the order of the day in Bampton Classical Opera’s new production — an updated version of The Italian Girl in London by 18th-century Italian composer Domenico Cimarosa.

The girl of the title runs away from Italy after being jilted by her English lover, and turns up at a downmarket London hotel disguised as a French maid. Soon an Italian, a Dutchman and her former lover are all vying for her attention. Add a half-Italian hotel owner into the mix, and you have the perfect recipe for an evening of madcap, Fawlty Towers-style chaos.

The opera was a major triumph for Cimarosa in the 1780s, and with its sparkling score and witty dialogue there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be enjoyed as much now as it was more than 200 years ago.

“It’s not quite as rare as some of the things we’ve done,” says director Jeremy Gray. “It’s had a bit of modern revival. It was done at the Buxton Festival in 1989, and we’re also taking it to the Buxton Festival this year. We were quite surprised when they chose this as they’d done it before, but I think it was very successful, and people remember it affectionately as a really jolly piece. We have the Italian recording of it, and it’s fabulous.”

As always, Jeremy and his wife Gilly have stamped their own mark on the opera with a lively new translation — a job Jeremy relishes. “Translation is an important part of the creative process — it would be nice to have more time to do it in!”.

The Italian Girl in London is at The Deanery Garden, Bampton tomorrow and Saturday, directed by Jeremy Gray and conducted by Thomas Blunt. Bring a picnic and pray for fine weather! Box office: 01367 810769.