OPERA NORTH BRINGS MAGIC, MYSTERY AND MISCHIEF TO THE LOWRY
Audiences are invited to join Opera North on a journey of magical discovery this autumn as the company brings its latest season to The Lowry featuring three fantastical tales told through compelling drama and unforgettable music. For younger theatre-goers, a brand-new family show, The Big Opera Adventure, comes to the stage with a chance to join in and sing along as the adventure unfolds.
The season instantly casts a spell on Wednesday 13 November with Benjamin Britten’s retelling of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a revival of Martin Duncan’s original production directed by Matthew Eberhardt. A tangled web of relationships is being played out in the woods, with the feuding Fairy King and Queen locked in a fierce dispute, while four lovers from the city try to work out their feelings for each other. With Bottom the Weaver confident in his dramatic prowess, and Puck and his fairies eager to cast a spell or two, mischief and mayhem are never far away.
Opera North Music Director Garry Walker conducts a cast including James Laing, Henry Waddington and Daniel Abelson who reprieve their roles as Oberon, Bottom and Puck, and Daisy Brown who sings Tytania. Johan Engels’ set and Ashley-Martin Davis’ costumes add a colourful ‘60s vibe to proceedings, perfectly complementing Britten’s witty and beguiling score.
The laughs continue the following evening with Gilbert and Sullivan’s hilariously inventive Gothic parody, Ruddigore, in a production by Jo Davies which was hailed as an instant classic in its first run. Bad baronet Sir Despard Murgatroyd (John Savournin) has inherited a centuries-old curse to commit a crime a day. Imagine his delight when the virtuous Robin Oakapple (Dominic Sedgwick) is revealed as his long-lost brother and the true inheritor of the curse. Things are looking up until it becomes all too apparent that Robin’s feeble attempts at wrong-doing are failing to impress his ghostly ancestors.
Mozart’s mesmerising final opera The Magic Flute completes the trio on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 November as James Brining, Leeds Playhouse Artistic Director, returns to direct his 2019 production. Prince Tamino embarks on a quest with the bird-catcher Papageno to rescue the captive Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night, with only a magic flute to help him battle all the trials which await him – but will it prove strong enough to protect him in a shape-shifting world?
A fantastical adventure with romance at its heart, The Magic Flute is the ideal introduction to opera for all ages. Having made his Opera North debut as Fenton in last year’s production of Falstaff, tenor Egor Zhuravskii returns to the stage to sing Tamino, alongside Claire Lees as Pamina. Anna Dennis takes on the vocal fireworks of the Queen of the Night, following her virtuoso performance in Masque of Might during the company’s Green Season. Oliver Rundell conducts.
The same day sees an afternoon performance of the new 50-minute family friendly show The Big Opera Adventure. Designed for children aged 5-12 years old, everyone is invited to help a host of operatic characters save a theatre from closure by solving clues, unravelling riddles and singing along to music played by the Orchestra of Opera North. Directed by Jonathan Ainscough, conducted by Harry Sever and featuring a professional actor and three opera singers, the performance will be sign interpreted and offer a fun and engaging opportunity for families to dive into the world of opera.
Opera North’s Autumn 2024 season will be at The Lowry from Wednesday 13th to Saturday 16th November.