This August will see the premiere of Mr Punch at The Opera at the Arcola Theatre. From The Opera Makers, this delightful and preposterous show is an interactive, pantomime-style adaptation of Pergolesi’s Renaissance opera La Serva Padrona, and is a fun (and short) way for children and families to access classical opera this summer.
The thrill of operatic voices singing up close and personal in a radical re-interpretation of an opera ripe for bringing into the 21st century
An all East and South East Asian (ESEA) cast has been announced for Turandot at Grimeborn Opera Festival this August. This marks the first time in the UK that a professional production of Puccini’s final opera, which is set in China and has its roots in Central and East Asian literature, has a full cast from the Asian diaspora.
Puccini’s final unfinished opera, Turandot, will be revived at the Arcola this summer in a radical and confronting retelling. Spearheaded by a team of award-winning creatives and artists from the Asian diaspora, this unnervingly relevant reinterpretation tackles head-on the work’s orientalist tropes and reflects on the new role the Far East plays as a modern, technological superpower.
Created with Shine Cancer Support UK, this compelling new opera includes an original libretto based on a collection of stories of people living with cancer, by Olivier Award nominee and Off West End Award winner Becca Marriott, set to the beautiful and haunting music of Claude Debussy.
Arcola Theatre today announced the full programme of productions in the 2021 Grimeborn Opera Festival, which is returning for its 14th year. Productions include 25 - 29 August Alcina, Music by George Friedrich Handel; 1- 4 September Hopes & Fears, Music by Claude Debussy and more.
In 2018, I saw 101 productions ranging from black box theatres with more actors in the cast than punters in the stalls to huge productions at the Royal Opera House and London Coliseum.
Another scaled down opera, retaining full force singing and emotional clout, from the King's Head, Violetta now a pole dancer in a sleazy Bristol nightclub.
The King's Head Theatre today announces their Autumn 2018 opera production; a radical reimagining of Verdi's incendiary tale of sex, class and power; La Traviata in a new English version by Becca Marriott and Helena Jackson.
The highlights of Gary Naylor's last 12 months and his nominations for the BroadwayWorld UK Awards 2018
The King's Head Theatre today announces their Autumn 2018 opera production; a radical reimagining of Verdi's incendiary tale of sex, class and power; La Traviata in a new English version by Becca Marriott and Helena Jackson.
Stripped back and startlingly intimate, Puccini's great tunes are given full value by wonderful voices and sensational acting in a production that raises boutique operas to a new level.
The King's Head Theatre, following on from the exciting news that the company will be moving in 2018 to a purpose built, permanent space in the heart of Islington Square, and Joe C Brown will present the West End transfer of their sell-out production of Puccini's La boh me. Adam Spreadbury-Maher, Artistic Director of the King's Head Theatre, will direct the production, which is running at Trafalgar Studios 2 from 6 December 2017 to 6 January 2018.
What does performing opera in a studio space do to the art form to the artist? My relationship with this relatively new form of fringe opera or 'studio opera' - or 'in your face opera' or 'opera up close' - is twofold. I am a translator-librettist and adaptor, working with Adam Spreadbury-Maher, artistic director of the King's Head Theatre, to create new versions of popular operas; but also a singer and actress performing opera's iconic roles in intimate venues.
Adam Spreadbury-Maher has a long history with the King's Head Theatre. As its Artistic Director and co-founder of OperaUpClose, he has overseen many successful opera productions, including The Coronation of Poppea and the multi award-winning La Boh me. Set in the tiny space behind the pub bar, every production has retained an intimacy that can only be achieved when the producer has neither the space nor the cash for bigger things. This remains a unique experience for the audience and showcases opera like nowhere else.
The King's Head Theatre has just announced they will be staging a radical reimagining of the classic opera Tosca from 27 September 28 October.
The King's Head Theatre, following on from the exciting news that the company will be moving in 2018 to a purpose built, permanent space in the heart of Islington Square, is delighted to announce that they and Joe C Brown will present the West End transfers of their sell-out productions of Puccini's La boh me and Tommy Murphy's Strangers in Between.
The opera explores the erotic triangle of a woman, her husband and her lover. In this psychological thriller, their explosive encounter soon becomes a cat-and-mouse game. When the tension erupts into violence, there can only be one winner.
The King's Head Theatre is thrilled to announce they will be staging a radical reimagining of the classic opera Tosca from 27 September - 28 October.
The opera explores the erotic triangle of a woman, her husband and her lover. In this psychological thriller, their explosive encounter soon becomes a cat-and-mouse game. When the tension erupts into violence, there can only be one winner. Oscar Wilde's poetic text is brought to life by Zemlinsky's sublime music, which captures the atmosphere perfectly and paints a picture of love, passion, murder and betrayal.
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