'Brush Up Your Shakespeare' with the Welsh National Opera Autumn Season in Bristol

Three productions inspired by William Shakespeare make up Welsh National Opera's Autumn season, which will comprise a British premiere and two new productions. The productions will be performed at the Bristol Hippodrome from 11 until 15 October.

The season is part of the official Shakespeare 400 celebrations to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the great bard's death whilst continuing WNO Artistic Director David Pountney's creative approach to themed seasons.

The Shakespeare 400 season will include the British premiere of André Tchaikowsky's The Merchant of Venice alongside new productions of Verdi's Macbeth and Cole Porter's classic musical Kiss Me, Kate.

Macbeth (12 October) is a co-production with Northern Ireland Opera (NIO). This new production places Verdi's classic opera in a contemporary setting, allowing for a new exploration of the tale of state violence, corruption and superstition.

Keith Warner returns to WNO following Peter Pan in 2015 to direct another British premiere, The Merchant of Venice (11 October), which was first performed at the Bregenz Festival in 2013. Composed by André Tchaikowsky, a Polish-Jewish composer and pianist who died very shortly after creating this opera, The Merchant of Venice is a powerful and serious attack on prejudice with themes closely felt by Tchaikowsky himself who was smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto with false identity papers and survived the Holocaust in hiding with his grandmother.

The season is completed with Cole Porter's classic musical Kiss Me, Kate (13-15 of October) in a co-production with Opera North which sits perfectly within the operatic repertoire and pays homage to Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Jam-packed with hit tunes including 'Too Darn Hot', 'Another Op'nin' Another Show', and 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare', this new production will feature operatic and West End Singers alongside the renowned WNO Chorus and Orchestra.

With show-stopping numbers and a story full of wit, humour and farce, Kiss Me, Kate is sure to leave audiences with a smile.

The cast is led by Jeni Bern as Lilli Vanessi/Katharine and Quirijn de Lang as her ex-husband FrEd Graham/Petruchio, both of whom starred in this production in 2015 at Opera North. The story is set around their tempestuous relationship as they prepare to stage a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew.

Featuring spectacular costumes, dazzling choreography and hit after hit, the show will be a feast for the eyes and the ears.

WNO Artistic Director David Pountney says: "For our autumn season we join in the nationwide celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. Music is everywhere in Shakespeare, from the fools and clowns whose songs pepper his works, to the sublime musicality of his use of language. It is hardly surprising that he has inspired so much music, and in this wonderfully diverse season you can enjoy him as tragedian, psychologist and witty entertainer."

WNO's Autumn season opens at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, before a UK tour. More information on WNO's Autumn 2016 season is available here.

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