Little Opera House Presents Jazz Version Of THE CORONATION OF POPPEA, Begins 4/5

One of the earliest operas, written in the 1640s, Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppea, is to get a fresh treatment by Mark Ravenhill and Alex Silverman, with a new jazz-inspired orchestration, and featuring a cast of exciting singing talents. It will premiere as part of the Little Opera House's first ever repertory season, with 10 performances from Tuesday April 5 to Thursday May 19.

A tale of the triumphant adultery between Poppea and Roman Emperor Nero, it will be directed by OperaUpClose Associate Director Mark Ravenhill, who is making his directorial debut with the company. Ravenhill is a playwright, actor and journalist, whose most famous plays include Shopping and f-ing, Some Explicit Polaroids and Mother Clap's Molly House.

He says, "I wanted to stage The Coronation of Poppea 'up close' because I thought it would benefit from an intimate setting. Monteverdi didn't write it for a big 19th century opera house but for a more intimate theatre with a relatively small band. He didn't notate very much orchestration. For our production, Alex Silverman (whose Hamlet The Musical was a hit at last year's Edinburgh Fringe), will be providing new arrangements for an ensemble of jazz instruments. It was one of the very first operas ever written - and probably the very first that was ever written about real people rather than mythical people/gods. Its first audience in the 1640s must have found it bracingly realistic. It is unusual because of the lack of conventional morality: the two cruellest people get the happy ending and sing a beautiful closing duet. I'm providing a new English translation and I've cut the piece back so that is about the seven principal characters and the complex web of love, lust, cross-dressing and murder which binds them together."

The cast includes: Rebecca Caine (Ottavia), Tom Lowe (Arnalta), Jassy Husk (Drusilla), Jessica Walker (Nero), David Sheppard (Ottone), Zoe Bonner (Poppea), Adam Kowalczyk (Liberto/Soldier) and Marcin Gesla (Seneca).

Rebecca Caine created the role of the adult Cosette in the first production of Les Miserables at the Barbican and made her opera debut at Glyndebourne as Amor in Peter Hall's production of Coronation of Poppea. She also joined the original cast of Phantom of the Opera to play Christine opposite Michael Crawford. She has had offers from numerous international opera companies ranging from Claudio Monteverdi to Peter Maxwell Davies. Most recently, in December 2010,
Rebecca returned to the musical theatre stage as Lady Raeburn in Salad Days produced by the Tête-à-Tête opera company.

Jessica Walker recently completed a tour of her solo show commissioned and produced by Opera North - The Girl I left Behind Me - co-devised and written by her and director Neil Bartlett.

London's Little Opera House at the King's Head Theatre is located at 115 Upper Street, London N1 1QN. Call 0207 478 0160 or visit www.kingsheadtheatre.com for tickets ranging from £15.00 - £22.50. Performances will be on April 5, 10, 12, 19, 28, 29, May 14, 16, 17 and 19 at 7.15pm, and then playing in repertory throughout 2011.

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