The curtain rises on his bloated corpse, washed up on the shore, half-clothed and tangled in fishing net. There is no orchestral overture. Instead, the audience sit in silence taking in the brutality of the scene before the music interrupts like a crashing wave. The chorus quickly assembly a courtroom made of driftwood, and we are taken back in time to watch Grimes give witness testimony at the inquest of his young apprentice, lost at sea.

This revival of director Phyllida Lloyd’s 2006 award-winning production has been co-directed by Karolina Sofulak and Tim Claydon, maintaining all the cinematic intensity of Lloyd’s original vision.

Visually there are some impressive elements, including rabble-rousing, flame-wielding crowds and an all-encompassing fishing net that fills Lowry’s lyric stage. However, on the whole Anthony Ward’s set is largely bare, with grey backdrops that appear to go on forever, evoking a sense of the deep vastness of the sea.

This sense of deep and at times violent movement is mirrored by Britten’s atmospheric score, and conductor Garry Walker leads the Opera North orchestra in a terrific upswell of music that leaves us feeling we are caught up in the ebbs and flows of the tide.

There is wonderful characterisation throughout by a talented team of principals, ensemble and chorus, led by tenor John Findon as Grimes. His performance draws us into the complexity of this character, almost a child in a huge man’s body who is obsessed with the sea and liable to uncontrolled outbursts of frustration. Even at his most violent Findon finds the humanity in this outsider who is both vulnerable and abusive. The tenderness of his vocals in the arias is spellbinding.

Grimes is a powerful, triumphant revival. The stunned silence of the audience before the eruption of applause is testament to the depth of emotions this production reaches.

Peter Grimes is at Lowry, Salford on 13 March 2026.

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Even if it is your first time at the opera, The Marriage of Figaro will be familiar from the very start. Mozart’s opening overture, sometimes known as the ‘unofficial wedding march,’ is instantly recognisable. The story is also an easy way in. It is a comedy of the silliest kind; often farcical with people dressing in ridiculous disguises, hiding in cupboards and escaping through windows.

It is based on Beaumarchais 1778 play, scandalous at the time for its mocking of the upper classes and their entitled ways. Fast forward to 2026 and this new production from director Louisa Muller, set in contemporary England, arrives against a background of the Epstein files which are revealing a seedy world of rich and famous men using and abusing young women for their own entertainment.

This opera being a comedy, here the tone is kept light, with the philandering Count Almaviva (James Newby) attempting to seduce young Susanna (Claire Lees), one of his house staff who is soon to be married to Figaro (Liam James Karai) and being foiled at every turn by his staff’s cunning wit.

Susanna makes an allegiance with the Countess (Gabriella Reyes) to play the Count at his own game, until he is forced to see the folly of his ways. Several amusing sub-plots add to the drama, while the chorus enter and exit the stage in various guises such as tourists wandering through the house and wedding guests.

While on the surface this might all sound a bit thin for a 3 hour plus show, there are no dips in this fast-paced, superbly sung production. Madeleine Boyd’s impressive set immerses us in the sprawling spaces of a country mansion that, like it’s owner, is in need of some updating.

There is some wonderful ensemble singing as well as showstopping arias from the two principal sopranos all underpinned by the energy of the Orchestra of Opera North conducted by Valentine Peleggi.

The strong female hands on all elements of this production give us a fun and fresh look at this centuries old tale, adding a teaser at the end where we see the Countess recognising she can stand on her own so another time, if he doesn’t change his ways, the Count might not be so lucky.  

 The Marriage of Figaro is at Lowry Salford on 12 and 14 March 2026.                           

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Indeed, if we didn’t know the same performers had recently opened a much more lavish, circus-themed staging at London’s Coliseum Theatre it wouldn’t feel like Manchester was getting second best in this dual-centre partnership.

That is something for the company to consider if it wants Manchester audiences to warm to it before ENO sets up a permanent base here in 2029.

That said, if we are going to believe two women don’t recognise their fiancés because they’re wearing different jackets and false moustaches, we don’t need fancy staging to be drawn into this farcical world.

Ruth Knight’s semi-staging puts ENO’s orchestra, so central to the enjoyment of the production, in clear view rather than hidden in the pit. Conductor Alexander Joel leads the orchestra from the same level as the singers, with ENO’s chorus coming in and out of the choir circle above, rather than joining the singers on the stage.

 It is performed in English with surtitles above the stage and the flimsy, comical story makes it easy to follow and accessible for audiences new to the genre.

The title Cosi fan tutte (women are all the same) is problematic if taken seriously. However, this 18^th century satire on love, lust and young romance is so extreme and preposterous that it pricks any bubble of seriousness or pomposity we might feel. There is also a flip at the end with tutte becoming tutti – so the men are equally satarised, if not more so, when they realise they’re not as in control of their childish scheming as they first thought.

Leaving us in no doubt of the tongue-in-cheek mischief in which we are to view this story is Irish soprano, Ailish Tynan, a whirlwind of energy as chambermaid Despina. Singing in a range of accents including her native Irish and broad Texan, her comic timing is impeccable and serves to add light to the darker meddling of Don Alfonso (Wigan-born bass baritone Andrew Foster-Williams).

The two naïve couples are sung by soprano Lucy Crowe and mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven as sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, British-American tenor, Joshua Blue as Ferrando and Indian baritone Darwin Prakash as Guglielmo. All singers are outstanding talents, with Crowe especially delighting the audience with the pureness of her vocals performing aria ‘per pieta’ from the choir seats above the orchestra.

In all, it is a world of silly escapism with world class singers and orchestra that doesn’t need to be juggled with circus tricks to keep us entertained.

Cosi Fan Tutte is at the Bridgewater Hall on 27 and 28 February 2026.

Under 21s can get free opera tickets to all ENO performances at the London Coliseum and at partnering venues in Greater Manchester.

Feature image: Lucy Crowe, Ailish Tynan, Taylor Raven, ENO’s Cosi fan tutte 2026, The Bridgewater Hall © Matthew Johnson Photographer

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It helps that the choice of opera is a lesser-known work and therefore the audience have little preconceptions about what to expect. Handel originally wrote it as an oratorio (concert style) in 1749, when Biblical stories weren’t permitted to be enacted on stage. It is based on a story from the Book of Daniel about Susanna who finds herself facing death after being falsely accused of adultery by two powerful, predatory men set on destroying her reputation and her marriage after she spurns their advances.

The themes of abuse of power, violence against women, corruption and gender-based injustice still have strong resonance today. And soprano Anna Dennis’ outstanding performance as Susanna reflects the deep trauma of this abuse that reverberates beyond her release. The integrity of the character is embodied in the purity and strength of her voice. At one point Dennis even sings lying down and it appears the song coming out is the most natural thing in the world – what strength!

The performance is also elevated by the onstage chemistry between Dennis and countertenor James Hall as her husband, Joacim. Hall’s openness and warmth makes for a stark contrast to the lustful deception of Colin Judson and Karl Huml’s Elders, dark performances that win them villainous pantomime boos at the curtain call.

While you may not be familiar with the music, it has the same recognisable Baroque majesty and dramatic energy of Handel’s coronation anthem ‘Zadok the Priest’ and the rousing chorus of his ‘Messiah‘.

Staging the story as an opera, with additional layers of the dancers and a deaf/British Sign Language performer on stage (Tianah Hodding), who is not simply signing the action but a fully integrated character, matches the grandiosity of the music in a way that is both imposing and absorbing.

The dancers are not simply background to the singing, often taking centre stage as an emotional interpretation of both the story and the music. For example, sometimes the dancers are almost dream-like interpretations of the central characters, while at other times they add depth to the narrative by reflecting more of the undercurrent themes of the story.

At times the sheer amount of activity on stage can feel overwhelming – like a high energy TikTok version for our 21st century short attention spans – although the length of the opera, particularly the 87 minutes before the interval suggests otherwise.

There are a couple of moments when the staging detracts from rather than enhances the singing. This could be an intentional part of the experimentation of this collaboration, making it clear that this is not simply opera with some dance, but something much more closely melded to create a new art form.

On the whole, however, this reimagining is bold, relevant and from the opening danced overture to the final curtain call – utterly engaging.

Opera North: Susanna was at Lowry, Salford on 14 November 2025.

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Howard is preaching (largely) to the converted (though he makes special reference to an unusually high number of opera newbies attending tonight’s show).

One Christmas Eve in 1950’s Paris, and four artsy young men (a poet, a painter, a musician and a philosopher) are shivering in their garret. Rodolfo, the poet, nobly consigns the script of his five act play to the stove to provide some warmth – all too little, all too brief.

Happily, the musician, Schaunard, fresh from an unusual assignment (playing for the pet parrot of an eccentric Englishman), comes home loaded with wine, bread and a little cash. The four friends resolve to “drink in, but eat out”. It is Christmas Eve and there are young women waiting to be charmed.

Rodolfo needs to finish an article he’s working on, but promises to join the other three later.

There’s a power outage. Rodolfo lights a candle then goes to answer a knock at the door. It’s Mimi, their neighbour. Her candle has gone out, so she’s come to ask for a light. Rodolfo invites her in and, within minutes, love blossoms.

For a contemporary viewer, it can be hard to take this sudden amour seriously, and in this revival, director James Hurley chooses to load it up with ham and cheese. I can see the temptation, but the three musical highlights (packed very tightly into the end of act one) are trying to tell us otherwise. Rodolfo doesn’t schmooze Mimi, he tries to help her see the wonders of the difficult path he has chosen (“Che gelida manina…”).

When she responds by singing her own autobiography, (“Si. Mi chiamano Mimi…”) she reveals a poetic soul beneath the beautiful exterior – a young woman touched by the delights of the changing seasons. In this version, Richard Moore’s lighting hampers rather than highlights the impact of Mimi’s words on Rodolfo. I know it’s meant to be candlelight, but we need to be moved by the emotional journey Rodolfo is embarking on, as well as by Mimi’s beautiful aria.

It’s traditional to close the love duet (“O, suave fanciulla…”) off stage, but here the two young lovers stay in full view. I think it works. Olivia Boen’s Mimi is not overpowered by Anthony Ciaramitaro’s Rodolfo (nor vice versa). It’s a strong finale.

From there, the production lumbers rather than skips. Musetta (Elin Pritchard), a renowned singer and former lover of the tempestuous artist, Marcello (Yuri Yurchuk) is now the consort of a wealthy man, many years her senior. When their paths cross again at the Café Momus, it is clear that, despite their protestations, the singer and the artist are far from done with each other. Or, at least, it ought to be clear. The staging here is leaden and alienating, with too much distance, physical and emotional, between the (allegedly) hot couple. We need Burton and Taylor but are given something nearer pantomime than passion.

Similarly, in act three, one of the dramatic highs, (the juxtaposition of the two young couples in crisis), loses much of its psychological complexity and emotional power when the audience’s focus is drawn to the raw violence of Marcello’s striking of Musetta, and away from the heart-rending inner conflicts of the doomed love between Rodolfo and Mimi.

Something is redeemed in act four – largely thanks to the fine acting of Ciaramitaro and Boen – but even here the sense of desperate urgency (friends rushing for medication, medical assistance, a fur muffin for Mimi’s poor hands, etc) never really takes off.

Six years ago, Michael Barker-Caven’s revival of this same Phyllida Lloyd original zinged off the stage. Tonight, not so. Perhaps, 30-odd years on, it’s time for ON to move on and re-imagine this classic from scratch.

Garry Walker conducts the Opera North orchestra with full awareness of the singers’ needs. Each of the four principles is vocally excellent, with Ciaramitaro’s Rodolfo winning my vote for tonight’s laurels. It all sounds lovely, so maybe just lean back, close your eyes and enjoy.

Opera North’s production of La Boheme is at Lowry, Salford as part of the company’s autumn season at Lowry from 12 to 15 November 2025.

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This production, directed by Annabel Arden with set, costume, and video design by Joanna Parker, takes a bold interpretative stance by reframing the Dutchman as a symbol of the stateless and voiceless. The opera begins with recorded testimonies of real refugees, reinforcing the parallel between Wagner’s cursed mariner and modern asylum seekers. Instead of a ghostly ship, the production places the action within the confines of the UK Home Office, with Captain Daland recast as the Home Secretary. This setting creates an intriguing, if at times heavy-handed, political subtext.

The staging is visually striking, with atmospheric video projections depicting the vastness of the sea, the mysterious figure of the Dutchman, and, most notably, images of real refugees at sea. These projections work effectively in reinforcing the themes of isolation and despair that run through Wagner’s opera, though at times, the imagery of people was somewhat difficult to discern. Nevertheless, the concept is a powerful and relevant addition to the production, drawing contemporary parallels to a centuries-old story.

Of the principal performers, Layla Claire stands out with an outstanding portrayal of Senta. Her vocal performance is both expressive and commanding, conveying the character’s deep yearning and tragic devotion to the Dutchman. Despite an unconventional interpretation of her role — at times evoking a youthful dreamer rather than a tormented heroine — Claire’s singing is full of nuance and intensity. Robert Hayward’s Dutchman is equally compelling, his rich baritone capturing the character’s haunted desperation. Clive Bayley’s Daland is a fascinating mix of bureaucratic satire and traditional operatic presence, adding a layer of wry humour to the role.

The chorus and orchestra are, without doubt, superb. The richness and power of the choral singing adds weight to the opera’s most dramatic moments, while the orchestra, under the guidance of conductor Garry Walker, deliver Wagner’s sweeping and intense score with precision and emotional depth. The balance of tension, lyricism, and grandeur in the orchestration heightens the production’s impact, ensuring a musically captivating experience.

However, the choreography leaves much to be desired. At some points, the chorus inexplicably perform ‘the robot,’ followed later by what appears to be a Mexican wave. These choices feel out of place in the context of the production, distracting from the otherwise well-crafted staging and musical performances. Such moments of ill-judged movement undermine the intensity of the narrative and feel incongruous with the opera’s sombre tone.

Overall, this production of The Flying Dutchman is a well-executed and compelling interpretation of Wagner’s work, enhanced by powerful performances and an evocative visual presentation. The integration of real refugee imagery adds depth and relevance, despite some minor clarity issues. While the production excels in its musical and dramatic elements, the misjudged choreography detracts from the overall experience. With a more cohesive approach to movement and staging, this could have been an exceptional production. As it stands, it is an engaging but flawed rendition.

Opera North’s The Flying Dutchman was at Lowry, Salford on 15 March 2025 before continuing on tour.

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Indeed, this Opera North autumn season at Lowry is clearly aimed at opening the art form to a wider audience. All shows on this tour are sung in English with subtitles at the side of the stage for clarity. And before each performance company members take to the stage to welcome the audience and point out approachable staff members who are happy to take any questions about the show.

It all helps in changing the perception some might have that opera isn’t for them. Saying that, The Magic Flute needs little introduction. It is a flight of imagination; a fairytale fight of good and evil where all is not always what it first appears. There is also instantly recognisable music and song, such as ‘The wrath of hell’: Queen of the Night’ aria, which half of the audience come out humming – if only we could sing it.

This production, last seen at Lowry in 2019, takes inspiration from a lot of popular culture in its design. Director James Brining describes it as a ‘mash-up of The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror and Dr Who’.

Colin Richmond’s extravagant set and costumes immerse us in this fantasy world, of monsters, floating trees, light sabres, and magic musical instruments, as young lovers Tamino (Egor Zhuravskii) and Pamina (Claire Lees) are caught in a supernatural challenge between Sarastro, Priest of the Sun (Msimelelo Mbali) and the Queen of the Night (Anna Dennis).

Like all great fairytales there is a comic sidekick to lighten the adventure. Here that falls to Papageno, a role Emyr Wyn Jones brings to life with natural comic timing and relaxed warmth.

Colin Judson does a terrific job of bringing a sickening level of sinisterness to Monostatos – winning him pantomime-style boos at the curtain call.

All round the singing is beautiful and performances strong, although the crowning glory must go to Queen of the Night, Anna Dennis. Last year she was the recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s best singer award. It is easy to see why. The power and clarity of her voice is nothing short of magnificent and hearing her perform live is worth the ticket price alone. In all it is a magical performance.

Opera North’s The Magic Flute is at Lowry, Salford on 15 and 16 November 2024 and returns on 13 and 14 March 2025. For more opportunities to see the show elsewhere visit the Opera North website.

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There was a palpable lightness in the Lowry’s large Lyric auditorium for Opera North’s high energy revival, which packages absurdity and wit alongside some tongue-twisting patter songs and a stunning set.

While the staging doesn’t quite take us back as far as the Victorian era in which the operetta was written, the whole experience is like stepping back in time, which only enriches the escapist experience.

The 2010 production by Jo Davies, now revived by James Hurley, is set in the silent movie era of the 1920s. This makes for a clever explanatory device at the start, with a black and white projected prologue during the overture setting the scene for what is to follow.
The story itself, silly as it is, is easy to follow. The show is part speaking and part sung in English, with surtitles at the side of the stage allowing the audience to catch even the fastest of rhymes.

The witch’s curse of the title falls to the Baronet of Ruddigore, and all who hold that title after him. The family curse forces him to commit a crime every day – most of which are comical like poking a Punch and Judy puppeteer through the curtain – or else face an agonising death. The hero, Robin Oakapple (Dominic Sedgewick), let his family think he was dead to escape the curse. Soon the world is upside down as Oakapple is forced to reveal his true identity as Ruthven Murgatroyd and take on the villainous curse, which at one point even involves some topical lyrical changes with both main political parties in the firing line.

The action swiftly moves from bedroom to coast, chapel to stately gallery – an impressive scene where the ghosts of Murgatroyd’s ancestors climb from their frames to haunt him to more evil ways.

There are a host of other colourful characters from Rose Maybud (Amy Freston) whose swinging moral compass is directed by a book of etiquette, and Mad Margaret (Helen Evora) who can only be pacified by hearing the word, ‘Basingstoke’. All involved are excellent – singers and orchestra.

It is imaginative, cheekily wicked, and most of all fun.

Ruddigore was at The Lowry on 14 November 2024.

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Those things that ON, almost without exception, do well, were a triumph. The singing was splendid, the orchestra (conducted by Garry Walker) superb.

As for the set and costumes. Well, interesting. The forest is represented by hanging strips of translucent Perspex. Towards the summit of these strips we have an moveable array of transparent Perspex balloons – the shifting clouds? The swaying arboreal canopy?

Their fairy majesties, Oberon and Tytania (in Britten’s version pronounced like ‘titanic’), are bedecked like giant glitter balls, the metallic chain mail of their costumes reflecting the spotlights back at the audience as they move. It’s magical to be intermittently dazzled by their glory, or irritating to have to squint so regularly – take your pick.

Puck – a speaking not a singing part – fawns like a doting pet around his master Oberon, as often at his feet as at his side. Vocally and physically Daniel Abelson plays the mischievous fairy like some hybrid of Keith Allen and Caliban. Not so much the “gentle Robin,” Oberon addresses.

For the greater part of the performance, audience laughter is sporadic. The humour is forced, heavy-handed even occasionally vulgar (the bewitched Lysander leg-humping Helena like a randy spaniel is a bit too Joe Orton). That said, the crowd is enthusiastically behind the Mechanicals’ play, later on.

Britten’s score recognises that the play is both funny and touching. When, in Act Three, the young Athenian lovers finally get their emotions unscrambled the music and the singing cascade beautiful sounds out into the auditorium. If only direction had enabled us to care more about Helena, Hermia, Demetrius and Lysander up to that point. Having performers, intentionally or inadvertently, stripping down to their underwear is no guarantee of sending the laugh-o-meter into the red zone. True, these four young lovers are ludicrous in their passions and their antics, but they must also be loveable. The production falls short on that latter requirement.

Similarly, when Tytania dotes on Bottom the Ass, the intimacy between this grotesque and ridiculous hybrid and the narcotically-demented yet magnificent fairy queen should simultaneously amuse and disturb us. The staging of this episode is stilted and so lacking interaction between the two characters as to undermine any sense of either emotion.

Shakespeare’s playful presentation of the Mechanicals, whilst making merciless fun of them, also recognised the truth in their hopes and fears (such a performance before the great and the powerful could make or break these simple men). The cavorting, fumbling, desperate enthusiasms of tonight’s group only occasionally offer unfamiliar delights; they may be clowns in our eyes but we also need to see them as vulnerable, inadequate but sincere. (The group hug they share when their play is ‘preferred’ is original, affecting and funny – if only we could have had more of this kind of creativity).

My companion for the evening says, “you can just close your eyes and listen to the music.” Wise words, indeed.

Henry Waddington booms compellingly as Nick Bottom, a veritable steamroller of excess enthusiasm.

Of the young Athenians (each of whom grabs her or his own moment to shine) Peter Kirk’s Lysander snatches the bouquet by his fingertips from the other three, though I look forward to future roles for Camilla Harris (Helena), Sian Griffiths (Hermia) and James Newby (Demetrius).

It was an inspired choice of the composer to make Oberon a counter-tenor. James Laing’s natural physical presence adds an other-worldly quality to his performance. Britten also set Tytania’s voice in the higher range. Daisy Brown aces her high C# (“Come now a roundel”) with apparent ease, and moves through the evening with regal command.

An utter treat for the ears, less so for the eyes, but, on the whole, well met.

Opera North – A Midsummer Night’s Dream was at Lowry, Salford on 13 November 2024.

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If you start out fearing opera is pretentious, an Ellen Kent show is a good way to confront and dispel those fears. The sets may be creaky, the costumes dated and the direction in need of refreshing. But the singers (garnered these days, mainly from Ukraine) are gifted, technically-accomplished and sincere in their commitment to the music.

On this tour, we have three operas: Verdi’s La Traviata, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, and tonight, Bizet’s Carmen.

We reviewed Carmen on Thursday. This famous opera tells the tale of a lovable mother’s boy, Corporal Don José, who is tempted into bad ways by sultry, smouldering gypsy, Carmen, who works at the tobacco factory in Seville (now a tourist attraction). Her particular skill (the tourist board website tells us) is to roll cigars between her thighs. (And they say smoking is bad for you!) After persuading her adoring soldier boy to desert and join her band of gypsy smugglers, this archetypal femme fatale then dumps him for the more glamorous toreador, Escamillo. Steaming hot temptress plus jilted latin lover… you can see where it’s heading.

Natalia Matveeva (who recently shone as the maid, Suzuki, in Butterfly) is an assured and rich-voiced Carmen. A truly modern incarnation of the role would recognise a deeper psychology – a capable, ambitious and passionate woman, whose only route to fulfilment lies through her sex appeal – but that’s for another company. 

Davit Sumbladze as Don José could sit a little more easily in his role but has a fine voice. Sumbladze’s rendition of “La fleur que tu m’avais jetée” in act two is quite beautiful. 

Escamillo, as performed by Iurie Gisca, is determined, in true toreador style, to be the centre of attention, belting out notes which fill this large victorian auditorium, whilst posturing after the manner of Miles Gloriosus (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 1966). The audience roars its approval.

If you are already affirmed in your love of opera, and dreaming of Covent Garden, La Scala or the Met, this is not the Carmen for you.

On the other hand, if you like the music but fear you might feel out of place among those snooty cognoscenti (aka me and my intellectual middle class mates), an Ellen Kent production might prove just the “gateway drug” to live opera you’ve been seeking. 

Perhaps, one taste will be more than enough. Or perhaps, you’ll leave the theatre knowing you need more opera in your life. I hope you do.

Senbla presents Opera International’s award-winning Ellen Kent production featuring the Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyiv with international soloists at The Opera House Manchester from 10 to 12 January 2024.

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