The latest news on performances of Opera in UK / West End.
Review: TOSCA, Opera Holland Park
by Gary Naylor - May 29, 2024
Opera Holland Park open the season with a faithful revival of a much loved classic...
Review: L'OLIMPIADE, Royal Opera House
by Gary Naylor - May 14, 2024
Irish National Opera bring a touring production to London in what might prove to be a show for the purists...
Open Letter Criticising Cuts to the Welsh National Opera Signed by Michael Sheen, Ruth Jones, Luke Evans, and More
by Stephi Wild - May 08, 2024
An open letter has been put together urging the UK government to protect the Welsh National Opera, which has fallen victim to cuts causing issues in its operation. Among those who have signed the letter, organized by Soprano Elizabeth Atherton, are Michael Sheen, Ruth Jones, Luke Evans, and more....
Review: LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, Royal Opera House
by Alexander Cohen - April 22, 2024
Nadine Sierra’s enthralling central performance helms this nerve-jangling revival....
Video: Go Inside The Royal Opera's MADAMA BUTTERFLY
by Joshua Wright - April 09, 2024
Watch as The Royal Opera explores Puccini’s devastating tragedy about a young geisha who falls in love with an American naval officer....
Review: CARMEN, Royal Opera House
by Gary Naylor - April 06, 2024
An old favourite brings the passion and the pain with beautiful singing and convincing acting...
Review: DUKE BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE, London Coliseum
by Gary Naylor - March 22, 2024
English National Opera closes its troubled, but successful, 2023-24 season with Bartok's curious compelling slice of psychodrama beautifully played by its orchestra...
Review: THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, Wilton's Music Hall
by Franco Milazzo - March 18, 2024
In the week when an Arts Council England report lambasted the current state of opera and questioned its relevance to wider society, Charles Court Opera’s The Barber Of Seville stands as a stern rebuff to those who consider this art form to be dated and irrelevant....
Review: JENŮFA, London Coliseum
by Franco Milazzo - March 15, 2024
Opera is not short of stories where women are violated and abandoned by the men in their lives but Leoš Janáček’s Jenůfa is an especially cruel tale....
Photos: Janáček's JENŮFA Returns to the London Coliseum
by A.A. Cristi - March 13, 2024
David Alden’s double Olivier Award-winning production of Janáček’s Jenůfa returns to the London Coliseum. See first look photos!...
Review: THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, Royal Opera House
by Michael Higgs - March 01, 2024
Albery’s revival of his Flying Dutchman simply works: with a great cast and a smooth atmosphere created by a dreamlike ship-inspired set, it all builds towards a Gesamtkunstwerk that Wagner might have enjoyed himself. A great success, all around....
Review: THE MAGIC FLUTE, London Coliseum
by Alexander Cohen - February 29, 2024
It’s odd to watch an opera where the actual opera is an afterthought. At least that’s how it feels watching Simon McBurney’s The Magic Flute. His revival production sizzles with circus spectacle, high tech pageantry, and boundary breaking chutzpah. But underneath it all you’ll be hard presse...
Review: THE DUCHESS OF PADUA, The Space
by Michael Higgs - February 22, 2024
Edward Lambert's Duchess of Padua is packed full with stunning music that brings Oscar Wilde's early melodramatic epic of love and revenge to life....
Musicians' Union Members Reach Agreement with English National Opera
by Stephi Wild - February 20, 2024
The Musicians' Union (MU) has reached an agreement with English National Opera (ENO). As a result, all planned strike and action short of strike by MU members in the orchestra at ENO have been cancelled. Learn more about the agreement here!...
Review: THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, English National Opera, London Coliseum
by Gary Naylor - February 13, 2024
The longstanding favourite is all very slick but, 37 years on, the production is showing its age...
Review: THE HANDMAID'S TALE, English National Opera, London Coliseum
by Gary Naylor - February 02, 2024
Paul Ruder's opera, based on Margaret Atwood's celebrated novel, has, frighteningly, gained more relevance since its premiere in 2000...
ENO Strike Suspended as Talks Continue
by Aliya Al-Hassan - January 29, 2024
Equity has announced that chorus members at the English National Opera will not strike on 1 February. The Musicians' Union will also suspend strike action while negotiations continue....
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE Comes to Wilton's Music Hall in March
by Stephi Wild - January 29, 2024
This Spring, Charles Court Opera makes a welcome return to Wilton’s with a sizzling production of Rossini’s comic masterpiece, The Barber of Seville. ...
Review: MANON, Royal Opera House
by Michael Higgs - January 18, 2024
Kenneth MacMillan's Manon is a haunting exploration of desire and sexuality, contrasting pompous extravagance with the poverty of the masses....
ENO Union Members Vote in Favour of Strike Action
by Aliya Al-Hassan - January 17, 2024
Members of the Musicians' Union and Equity have voted overwhelmingly in favour of potential strike action in a dispute over planned cuts to the workforce....
Juliet Stevenson Joins the ENO's THE HANDMAID'S TALE
by Stephi Wild - January 17, 2024
This February, multi award-winning actress Juliet Stevenson makes a highly anticipated return to the West End in the English National Opera’s (ENO) acclaimed operatic adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale....
TOSCA Returns to the Royal Opera House in February
by Stephi Wild - January 16, 2024
This February, The Royal Opera’s Tosca returns to Covent Garden. Jonathan Kent’s staging receives its 14th revival since its premiere in 2006 and this year will showcase debut performances from several artists new to the Royal Opera House stage. ...
ENO's THE BARBER OF SEVILLE Returns to the London Coliseum in February
by Stephi Wild - January 16, 2024
Returning to the London Coliseum this February is Jonathan Miller’s much-loved production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, first staged by English National Opera (ENO) in 1987. ...
Review: ELEKTRA, Royal Opera House
by Alexander Cohen - January 15, 2024
The Royal Opera House’s new production of Elektra could do with an extra pinch of Saltburn-esque depravity....
The Royal Opera Reveals Full Casting Details Ahead of Japan 2024 Tour
by Stephi Wild - January 12, 2024
The Royal Opera has announced full casting details for their upcoming tour in Japan in 2024. Find out who will be performing in this highly anticipated event. Find out who is in the cast of the company's upcoming productions!...
VIDEO: Watch A New Trailer For The Royal Opera's THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
by Joshua Wright - January 10, 2024
From its stormy overture to the climactic finale, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman pulls you into its depths. Tim Albery’s brooding and atmospheric production returns to the Royal Opera House Main Stage in February 2024. ...
LA BOHEME Returns to Covent Garden in January 2024
by Stephi Wild - January 10, 2024
This January, The Royal Opera presents Richard Jones' classic production of Puccini's La bohème, in its fourth revival since the 2017/18 season. Keri-Lynn Wilson and Evelino Pidò conduct three casts across the run which will see the opera's 700th performance at the Royal Opera House since its Cov...
Appeal Launched for Lost Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Score
by Aliya Al-Hassan - January 08, 2024
An appeal has been launched for people to check their homes for a missing opera score by Gilbert and Sullivan. ...
THE HANDMAID'S TALE Returns to the ENO in February
by Stephi Wild - January 04, 2024
The Handmaid’s Tale opera will return to the ENO in a highly anticipated production. Read more about the upcoming show including how to get tickets, and all about the new arrival....
VIDEO: Royal Opera House Taking Registrations For Create Day 2024
by Joshua Wright - January 03, 2024
On July 2nd, 2024 The Royal Opera House will host a free day of singing, dancing and design celebrating the UN Rights of the Child in collaboration with UNICEF. ...
Opera Often Gets an Undeserved Kicking Says Glyndebourne Boss
by Aliya Al-Hassan - December 28, 2023
“Opera often gets this kicking which it doesn’t deserve in my view,” says Richard Davidson-Houston, the boss of Glyndebourne Opera....
Musicians' Union Vote for Strike Action at ENO
by Aliya Al-Hassan - December 22, 2023
Musicians' Union members in the English National Opera (ENO) orchestra and Music Staff have voted overwhelmingly in favour of potential strike action....
Equity Will Vote on Industrial Action at the English National Opera
by Stephi Wild - December 21, 2023
Equity - the performing arts and entertainment trade union – has announced that it will ballot its members in the ENO chorus on industrial action. The ballot will open on Thursday 4 January and includes the potential for strike action....
Review: HANSEL AND GRETEL, Royal Opera House
by Michael Higgs - December 18, 2023
Antony McDonald's production simply oozes glamour and matches perfectly the opera’s quintessentially Romantic music. Eerie forests cast in twilight, cluttered huts, and old-fashioned costumes mix and mingle to give audiences a feeling of watching something straight out of the 19th century....
Review: ODYSSEY: A HEROIC PANTOMIME, Jermyn Street Theatre
by Gary Naylor - December 10, 2023
Five opera singers are holding out for a hero...
New Opera Based on Oscar Wilde's THE DUCHESS OF PADUA Comes to the Space Theatre in February
by Stephi Wild - December 07, 2023
A new chamber opera based on Oscar Wilde’s rarely performed second play, The Duchess of Padua, will be presented by The Music Troupe at The Space Theatre in London from Tuesday 20 - Sunday 25 February 2024 followed by a tour to Richmond, North Yorkshire (2 March), Manchester (3 March) and ...
Review: CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI, Royal Opera House
by Gary Naylor - December 01, 2023
Sensational staging and great music sung with such passion, but are changing mores transforming how we see the sad clown and his wicked revenge?...
Cast Change Revealed for CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA/PAGLIACCI at The Royal Opera House
by Chloe Rabinowitz - November 17, 2023
Get the latest news on the cast change for the production of Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci. Find out who the new cast members are and when the show will be running....
Large-Scale Production of Verdi's AIDA Will Be Performed at the OVO Arena Wembley in March 2024
by Stephi Wild - November 15, 2023
London is set host the biggest opera production it's seen this century, as a groundbreaking performance of Verdi's AIDA plays three performances at the OVO Arena Wembley in March 2024....
Review: JEPHTHA, Royal Opera House
by Alexander Cohen - November 09, 2023
300 years have passed since Jephtha, Handel’s Greek tragedy-infused oratorio, was heard at Covent Garden. Now a lustrous new production helmed by artistic director Oliver Mears begs the question: is it a lost classic? Or one to consign to the history books?...