Austin Lyric Opera (and Apothecary) is dispensing a surefire antidote to midwinter blahs in the form of an insanely inventive, fabulously fun production of Emmanuel Chabrier’s 1877 opéra bouffe, “The Star.”

The composer is but slightly known nowadays, and “The Star” is far from standard repertoire. It deserves wider exposure.

At the core of the story (French libretto by Eugène Leterrier and Albert Vanloo, English spoken dialogue by Pascal Blanchet) are three stock characters. We have a foolish king (Ouf), the princess (Laoula) he plans to marry, the young peddler (Lazuli) she falls in love with, and the king's astrologer (Siroco) -- standard issue, but the complications and accoutrements are delicious. Despite a shortage of memorable tunes, the music is consistently charming and lively (or charming and lugubrious, where Chabrier mocks tragic grand-opera style), and the craft is highly sophisticated, especially in intricately worked out ensemble numbers. Chabrier was no Mozart: The pool is wide but shallow. Yet this music has its own brand of perfection. There’s not a cheap or facile or rubber-stamped moment in it.

All of the principals in this production combine excellent vocal and comedic chops. Mezzo-soprano Deborah Domanski brings a luscious voice, vivacious presence and miraculously flexible body (Gumby has nothing on her) to the pants role of Lazuli. Nili Riemer’s silvery, subtly fluttery soprano makes an ideal Laoula. Tenor Jean-Paul Fouchecourt’s King Ouf and basso buffo Kevin Glavin's Siroco are deftly drawn. There are strong contributions by mezzo-soprano Liz Cass, baritone John Boehr and tenor Brian Joyce. The ALO chorus wanted more precision on opening night, but Chabrier did not make its task easy. ALO principal conductor Richard Buckley delivered the score with zest.

But the real star of “The Star” is the physical production, originally created for Glimmerglass Opera and New York City Opera. Set designer Andrew Lieberman and costume designer Constance Hoffman conspired (with an assist, perhaps, from René Magritte) to craft a veritable fusillade of ingenious coups de theatre within a frame of giant funhouse mirrors. The effects worked doubly well because the visual field was kept uncluttered and abstract. The designers (including lighting designer Robert Wierzel) struck an ideal balance between freewheeling madcap and taut discipline.

Alain Gauthier’s stage direction was all of a piece with the decor and the music, and with itself. His stylized movements owed something to music hall and burlesque, which lesser directors often mine for occasional campy if tired clichés, but Gauthier’s consistency, detailing and go-for-broke extravagance went beyond vocabulary into syntax and established a distinctive style.

“The Star” continues on Feb. 3, 5 and 7 at the Long Center in Austin. See austinlyricopera.org.