Opera Undone - Puccini double-bill comes to Trafalgar Studios
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
THE Olivier Award nominated producers of the 2017 hit La bohème are presenting a Puccini double-bill, Opera Undone: Tosca & La bohème, at Trafalgar Studio 2.
These brand new English versions by David Eaton and Adam Spreadbury-Maher will run from February 5 to March 7, 2020. Adam Spreadbury-Maher, Artistic Director of the King’s Head Theatre, will also direct the production, with musical direction by David Eaton.
Opera Undone is a new strand of the King’s Head Theatre’s celebrated opera programming, whereby famous operas are radically reimagined in a punchy 60-minute format and sung entirely in English. This revolutionary new form tears up the opera rulebook for a whole new generation.
Newcomers to opera, along with diehard fans will be able to experience in one evening two enthralling tales of love, heartbreak and deception as they’ve never been told before.
La bohème is a thoroughly modern look at relationships, addiction and co-dependency in London’s hip and happening Peckham. On-off couple Marcus and Melissa navigate the emotional complexities of a polyamorous relationship, whilst flatmate Rod’s gratification on Grindr is disrupted when he meets the beautiful and enigmatic Luca.
Tosca is an electrifying tale of love, lies and abuse in present-day Hollywood. Amidst the glitz and glamour of Tinsel Town, an all-powerful producer preys on an actress, seeking to manipulate and distort her relationship with an up-and-coming screenwriter for his own nefarious and troubling purposes.
The King’s Head Theatre’s Artistic Director, Adam Spreadbury-Maher, founded the Cock Tavern Theatre, OperaUpClose and the Hope Theatre before joining the King’s Head Theatre as Artistic Director in 2010. In 2009, he produced La bohème at the Cock Tavern and Soho Theatres which won the Olivier Award for Best Opera and was nominated for Best New Opera in 2017.
Since becoming Artistic Director of the King’s Head Theatre, Spreadbury-Maher’s directing highlights include Trainspotting and the recent 35th-anniversary production of Kevin Elyot’s Coming Clean, also returning to Trafalgar Studios in 2020.
David Eaton has been the Musical Director of leading chamber opera company, Charles Court Opera, for over ten years, and has worked with them on productions from across the classical repertoire, most notably Gilbert & Sullivan but also Puccini, Mozart, Ligeti, Peter Maxwell Davies and Rodgers. As an accompanist, he has played at concert venues across the country including St. John’s Smith Square, the Purcell Room and the Wigmore Hall as well as performing several times live on Radio 3 and BBC Television. He has also had translations performed at the Grimeborn Festival
Produced by King’s Head Theatre, Making Productions and RGM Productions in association with DeVere Productions, Opera Undone: Tosca & La bohème will be designed by Amanda Mascarenhas and have lighting by Nic Farman.
Tickets: Previews: All £20. Monday to Thursday (and Saturday matinees): £25 – £30. Friday and Saturday Evenings: £35 – £45. To book, call the box office on 0844 871 7632 or visit www.atgtickets.com/venues/trafalgar-studios/.
Times: Monday and Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday to Saturday at 7.45pm, Thursday and Saturday at 3pm.