Opera North is celebrating 40 years since it became the opera company for the North of England by bringing a new production of Puccini’s Italian masterpiece Tosca to Newcastle Theatre Royal later this month, 23 – 27 October 2018.
Tosca, Rome’s star opera singer, is passionately in love with charismatic artist Cavaradossi. When he helps a political prisoner to escape, Cavaradossi is arrested and tortured by Scarpia, the corrupt Chief of Police. Tosca, an object of fascination to Scarpia, does everything she can to save her lover, but the consequences are far worse than she can imagine. From the jolting blast of Tosca’s opening chords, obsessive lust, politics, art and religion collide in this feverish, high-octane thriller.
Following his 2017 production of Hansel and Gretel, Edward Dick returns to the Company to direct a production which makes the most of the opera’s strong contemporary resonances. The stellar cast includes Belfast-born soprano Giselle Allen (Cavalleria rusticana and Osud), Mexican tenor Rafael Rojas (Un ballo in maschera) and British baritone Robert Hayward (Andrea Chénier).
Opera North are also bringing a revival of Lehár’s light-hearted operetta, The Merry Widow to counter-balance the tragedy of Tosca. Hanna Glawari is a young, beautiful and stupendously wealthy widow visiting Paris. Would-be suitors clamour for her hand but everything is not quite as simple as it seems, because the fate of the Balkan state of Pontevedro depends on the choice she makes. If Hanna marries a foreigner, Pontevedro will go bankrupt.
Little wonder then that her arrival in France creates high excitement among the country’s bachelors -and many a sleepless night for the Pontevedrian ambassador, Baron Zeta, as he does everything he can to make sure she remarries a suitable, Pontevedrian, man.
Uniting Parisian sensuality with Viennese sophistication, The Merry Widow’s lushly glittering score is a riot of colour, elegantly whirling between can-can, galop and waltz. Director Giles Havergal’s stylish production is complemented by Leslie Travers’ end-of-century set and costume designs while Kit Hesketh-Harvey’s witty English translation captures all the comedy and flair of this popular piece.
Richard Mantle, General Director, Opera North said: “Opera North’s purpose is to create extraordinary experiences every day; using music and opera to entertain, engage, challenge and inspire. In this, our 40th year, we seek to reinvigorate our incredible art form for the 21st century, and to share our work in new ways with more people across the whole of the North of England and beyond.”
Opera North’s Autumn Season is at Newcastle Theatre Royal for five nights only between Tue 23 Oct and Sat 27 Oct 2018 (Tosca 23, 25, 27 Oct; The Merry Widow 24 & 26 Oct) all at 7.30pm. Tickets from £18.50 can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge) or book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk