THE TALE OF TSAR SALTAN to Play at La Monnaie

The Tale of Tsar Saltan will run at La Monnaie June 11-22.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov created the opera drawing on inspiration from "The Flight of the Bumblebee," and it became an instant hit as it was a perfect combination of Rimsky-Korsakov's talent of melody and orchestrations and the poetry, humor and imagination that is at play.

When Tsar Sultan chooses to marry the youngest of three sisters because she promises him an heir, the older two and their aunt Barbarikha are determined to seek revenge. After the now Tsaritsa has her son, Gvidon, the sisters and their aunt hatch a plan to throw both the Tsaritsa and her son into the sea. The Tsaritsa and her son remain alive and get washed upon the shore, where Gvidon saves a swan from a wizard. As repayment, the swan takes the son back to his birthplace disguised as a bumblebee, and through this journey the father and son get to know each other.

The Tale of Tsar Saltan features: Ante Jerkunica as "Tsar Saltan," Svetlana Aksenova as "Tsaritsa Militrisa," Stine Marie Fischer as "Tkatchikha," Bernarda Bobro as "Povarikha," Carole Wilson as "Babarikha," Bogdan Volkov as "Tsarevitch Gvidon," Olga Kulchynska as "Tsarevna Swan-Bird/Lyebyed," Vasily Gorshkov as "Old Man," Alexander Vassiliev as "Skomorokh/Shipman," Nicky Spence as "Messenger/Shipman" and Alexander Kravets as "Shipman."

The creative team includes: Alain Altinoglu (Conductor), Dmitri Tcherniakov (Director and Set Design), Elena Zaytseva (Costume Designer), Gleb Filshtinsky (Art Direction Video and Lighting) and Martino Faggiani (Chorus Master).

For tickets and more information about The Tale of Tsar Saltan, tap here.

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Lead Performer in a Play - Top 3

1. Daniel Radcliffe - Every Brilliant Thing

27.6% of votes

2. Nathan Lane - Death of a Salesman

13.5% of votes

3. John Lithgow - Giant

6.4% of votes

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