OPERA IN THE CITY: UNDERWORLD

The world premiere of Faust, Alberta by Simone Spagnolo, starring Benjamin Bevan (Royal Opera House, Royal Danish Opera, Welsh National Opera), headlines alongside Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice this year’s Opera in the City Festival.

22nd August – 8th September at Bridewell Theatre, City of London

The operatic spectacle Faust, Alberta explores the tragic story of Doctor Faustus and his fatal deal with Mephistopheles from a contemporary angle. A Nameless Man finds himself in a remote cabin surrounded by frozen snowfields. He doesn’t know who he is nor where he is from, only that something is after him – an unstoppable machine that hunts those who fell from grace. In nine scenes, he tries to collect his memory. Triggered by snippets from his past, he slowly starts to put the pieces together. The radical reworking of the classic by librettist Giordano Trischitta portrays Faust as a man who has lost his identity and the sense of his journey along the way, and is desperately trying to solve the jigsaw of his existence. Award-winning composer Simone Spagnolo  brings this story to live with an eerie, atmospheric score.

The role of Doctor Faustus will be sung by Benjamin Bevan, whose engagements include Henry Cuffe in Britten’s Gloriana and Der Sprecher in Zauberflöte(Royal Opera House), Lescaut in Boulevard Solitude by Henze (Royal Danish Opera and Welsh National Opera), and work with BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, among many others.

This opera will be contrasted with a revival of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice, which was composed roughly 250 years earlier in 1762. Gluck’s opera is based on the Greek myth of Orpheus, who – unable to accept the death of his beloved wife Eurydice – descends into the Underworld to bring her back. Moved by his pleas, the Spirits grant him permission, but there is one condition: while leading her out of Hades, he must not turn around and face her. The timeless love story will be presented as a modern fairy-tale in a new, English translation and with a musical arrangement for piano, violin, flute and harp by musical director Andrew Charity.

Both productions of this season will be directed by Pamela Schermann (Mozart & Salieri at Arcola Theatre & UK/Denmark Tour, Raving Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Othello Rose Playhouse and NYC, among works in Germany and Austria), with a set and costume design by Cindy Lin (Linbury Prize Finalist / Royal Court Theatre and ROH Bursary recipient) and lighting by Petr Vocka.

These productions headline Opera in the City Festival 2018. Following a successful inaugural season last year, Time Zone Theatre Ltd teams up with the Bridewell Theatre once more to present innovative opera productions for affordable ticket prices. Besides our in-house season UNDERWORLD, we will be hosting the work of visiting companies. AYANFE, A YORUBA OPERA by April Atinuke Koyejo is inspired by her own ancestry and the desire to bring the Yoruba culture to the operatic stage. British-American soprano Kathryn Frady presents the Uk Premiere of the one-woman opera AMELIA LOST by Larry Delinger, a haunting and inspirational story about a homeless woman who believes herself to be aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. Lunchbreak opera presents their fast-paced take on Antonio Salieri’s PRIMA LA MUSICA, and Everyday Arias shows their opera film screening OPERA SHORTS. The productions are performed in English, and are suitable for opera lovers and those new to opera alike.

“Opera in the City Festival feels like the place to be” – Culture Whisper, 2017
“Bound to become a staple of London’s classical music scene” – Everything Theatre, 2017
“There’s plenty of variety to tempt any opera goer looking for the unusual” – Bachtrack, 2017
“Deserves praise for looking beyond the obvious and for providing London with a further August alternative to the Royal Albert Hall“ – Opera magazine, 2017

Orpheus and Eurydice

Composer: Christoph Willibald Gluck
Translator/libretto: Andrew Charity
Dates: 22nd, 24th, 25th and 28th August, 7.30pm, running time: 1h50min
Venue: Bridewell Theatre, 14 Bride Lane, off Fleet Street, London EC4Y 8EQ
Tickets: £15 – £22 (plus booking fee)
Booking: Ticketsource – https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/FHHFEL
Web: www.opera-in-the-city.com
Social Media: @TimeZoneTheatre, @OperaCityFest, @BridewellCentre / fb: timezonetheatre
Creatives: Pamela Schermann (stage director), Andrew Charity (musical director), Cindy Lin (set and costume designer), Petr Vocka (lighting designer)
Cast: Lawrence Olsworth-Peter (Orpheus), Caroline Kennedy (Eurydice), Lizzie Holmes (Amor)

Short synopsis:
Christoph Willibald Gluck’s opera Orpheus and Eurydice is based on the Greek myth of Orpheus, who – unable to accept the death of his beloved wife Eurydice – descends into the Underworld to bring her back. Moved by his pleas, the Spirits grant him permission, but there is one condition: while leading her out of Hades, he must not turn around and face her.

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Faust, Alberta

Composer: Simone Spagnolo
Libretto: Giordano Trischitta
Dates: 3rd, 5th, 7th and 8th September at 7.30pm, running time: 75min
Venue: Bridewell Theatre, 14 Bride Lane, off Fleet Street, London EC4Y 8EQ
Tickets: £15 – £22 (plus booking fee)
Booking: Ticketsource – https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/FHHFEI
Web: www.opera-in-the-city.com
Social Media: @TimeZoneTheatre, @OperaCityFest, @BridewellCentre / fb: timezonetheatre
Creatives: Pamela Schermann (stage director), Simone Spagnolo (musical director), Cindy Lin (set and costume designer), Petr Vocka (lighting designer). Cast: Benjamin Bevan (Nameless Man/Mr M)

Short synopsis
A Nameless Man finds himself in a remote cabin surrounded by frozen snowfields. He doesn’t know who he is nor where he is from, only that something is after him – an unstoppable machine that hunts those who fell from grace. In nine scenes, he tries to collect his memory. Triggered by snippets from his past, he slowly starts to put the pieces together.