Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Die Zauberflöte K620

Act 1 Opening Trio

Tamino

Samuel Horton    

First Lady

Hannah Hughes

Second Lady

Ona Černiauskaitė

Third Lady

Hayley Meth

As the remnants of last night’s party are cleared away, a lone guest awakens in a state of profound confusion. Plagued by a hangover and an overactive imagination, he is terrified by the inanimate objects and shadows of the room, convinced a monstrous serpent is closing in. His panicked cries for help are answered not by a monster, but by the three wedding singers who are setting up for the next performance. After struggling with the tech, they’re finally able to start rehearsing but they notice the man lying on the floor.

Taking pity on the distraught man, they tend to him and they are struck by his handsome appearance and debate who should go inform their boss of the incident, and who should stay and look after him. For a moment, professional and personal are mixed, as the singers’ routine is disrupted by this exciting encounter…

Hector Berlioz

Béatrice et Bénédict

Final Trio 

Héro

Yixu Zhao 

 

Béatrice

Hayley Meth  

Ursule

Miranda Kettlewell    

The bride shares a final moment of preparation with her bridesmaids. Among them is Béatrice, a woman who hides her true feelings behind a mask of cynicism, swearing she would rather become a nun than ever marry. Her friends, however, know that her protests are a defense against a passion she is afraid to admit.

Through their gentle teasing and unwavering affection, the cracks in Béatrice’s armour begin to show. Her friendship with the women is steadfast, but their talk of love and marriage provokes a fiery, undeniable reaction. As the ceremony draws near, time is running out and love awaits the beautiful bride…

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

La clemenza di Tito K621

Act 2 Arias & Recitatives

Vitellia

Kayla Raschke

Servilia

Charlotte Du-Cann

Annio

Ellie Stamp   

Among the wedding guests is Vitellia, a woman consumed by a terrible guilt that prevents her from partaking in the celebration around her. She is tormented by the knowledge that Sesto, a man deeply in love with her, is about to be condemned for a crime she orchestrated. Her ambition has been to marry the emperor, Tito, but now her conscience wages war against her desires.

Her friends, Servilia and Annio, urge her to confess everything and pray for the emperor’s forgiveness. Watching the happy couple from afar, Vitellia knows she must sacrifice her lifelong ambitions and do the right thing, or be forever haunted by her actions. She leaves the party, her future uncertain, to face the consequences.

Georges Bizet

Doctor Miracle

Omelette Quartet (in English) 

Laurette

Hannah Hughes

Véronique

Ellie Stamp

Pasquin

Samuel Horton 

The Mayor

Tokio Ueno 

The ceremony is over, and the reception is in full swing. Just as the guests are anticipating the arrival of the wedding cake, a delightful prank unfolds. Two friends create a diversion, presenting a simple omelette as a culinary masterpiece destined to outshine any dessert.

The chef launches into an elaborate presentation, treating the making of the omelette like a grand, hypnotic performance. But is the omelette truly as magnificent as he claims?

Giuseppe Verdi

La traviata 

Act 2 Duet

Violetta

Dani Croston

Germont

Jingyu Cao

Annina

Miranda Kettlewell

Giuseppe

Thomas Aminfar-Antoniw

Violetta, the elegant owner of the wedding venue, finds her professional composure shattered by an unexpected and private visit. Giorgio Germont, the father of her beloved Alfredo, has arrived to confront her with an impossible demand…

Benjamin Britten

Albert Herring  

Threnody

Miss Wordsworth

Kayla Raschke

Lady Billows

Dani Croston

Mrs Herring (Albert’s mother)

Ellie Stamp

Florence Pike

Hayley Meth

Nancy

Miranda Kettlewell

Mr Gedge (the Vicar)

Cuan Durkin

Mr Upfold (the Mayor)

Samuel Horton

Sid

Tokio Ueno

Superintendent Budd

Alan Yu

Albert Herring

Thomas Aminfar-Antoniw

Piano

Mark Zang

The joyful atmosphere of the wedding reception is abruptly broken. The groom’s hat and party sash are discovered laid carefully on a covered table, arranged in a manner that suggests a memorial. A wave of shock and grief washes over the guests as they conclude that a terrible tragedy has befallen the young man.

Their collective mourning, however, turns instantly to outrage when the groom himself wanders back into the room, entirely unaware of the panic his brief absence has caused.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Così fan tutte K588

Act 1 Quintet

Fiordiligi

Annabel Bigland

Dorabella

Ellie Stamp

Ferrando

Thomas Aminfar-Antoniw

Guglielmo

Cuan Durkin

Don Aldonso

Jingyu Cao

Two sisters, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, are guests at the wedding, and they catch up over drinks, proudly showing off pictures of their handsome fiancés, convinced they have found perfect, unshakeable love. Their idyllic bubble is burst by the arrival of an older friend, Don Alfonso, who bears terrible news.

He informs them that their partners have been suddenly called to war and must depart immediately. The women’s joy turns to despair as they are thrown into a frantic, emotional farewell. In a flurry of tears and dramatic pronouncements, their devotion is put to its first, unexpected test.

Henry Purcell

Dido and Aeneas

Act 1 Opening Scene

Belinda

Yixu Zhao

Dido

Miranda Kettlewell

Second Woman

Annabel Bigland

Aeneas

Alan Yu

Amidst the celebration, one guest, Dido, walks away, overwhelmed by a private sorrow. Her friend Belinda, the bride, notices her distress and steps away from her own party to offer comfort. We soon learn the source of Dido’s pain: her former lover, Aeneas, is also a guest at the wedding, and his presence has reopened a painful wound.

Dido insists her love for him is in the past, but her friends see the truth in her eyes. In a powerful display of female friendship, they gently encourage her to follow her heart and speak to him. As Aeneas waits just outside the door, they create a space for the two former lovers to reconnect, hoping that love will find its way.

Giacomo Puccini

La bohème

Act 2 Café Scene 

Mimi

Ona Černiauskaitė

Musetta

Charlotte Du-Cann

Rodolfo

Samuel Horton

Marcello

Tokio Ueno

Schaunard

Cuan Durkin

Colline

Alan Yu

Alcindoro

Jingyu Cao

Piano

Mark Zang

As the wedding reception draws to a close, the party is electrified by a final, dramatic arrival. The glamorous Musetta sweeps in, fashionably late and on the arm of a wealthy, older admirer, Alcindoro. Her entrance is pure performance, designed for an audience of one: her former lover, Marcello, who is among the guests.

What follows is a public display of seduction and jealousy, culminating in a cleverly feigned shoe emergency that allows her to dispatch Alcindoro and fall back into Marcello’s arms.

As old couples reunite and new ones celebrate, the newlyweds prepare to depart, and the bouquet is tossed into the air, leaving only one drunken guest behind… Perhaps he will be rescued by the wedding singers?

Synopses by Valeria Perboni