Become a Friend
Become a Friend of Opera North today for just £5 per month and you’ll get the chance to experience even more extraordinary opera throughout the year with access to dress rehearsals, invitations to exclusive events and more…
Comedy and tragedy collide when a wealthy patron commissions two entertainments for his guests – one a knockabout comedy, the other a high-flown mythological opera.
Chaos erupts when, at the last minute, both companies are instructed to perform their pieces simultaneously. The backstage shenanigans of the prologue give way to a meditation on differing attitudes to life and love in the opera proper, with Ariadne, who longs only for death after she is abandoned by the faithless Theseus, contrasted with Zerbinetta, for whom one lover can easily be replaced by another.
All sides of Strauss’s musical personality – comic, heroic and romantic – are on glorious display in this sumptuous confection. Director Rodula Gaitanou locates the action in a Fellini-esque Italian film studio in a production that won high praise when it was first seen in Gothenburg in 2018.
“… has all the hallmarks of a big Opera North hit.”
– Sunday Times (Gothenburg, 2018)
A co-production with Gothenburg Opera.
Supported by the Friends of Opera North.
Running time
Approximately 2 hours 15 minutes
Language
Sung in German and English with English titles
Accessibility
Audio described performances
Save with…
Season Ticket Packages
Under 30s membership
New to opera discounts
*Prices vary by venue. Booking fees may apply.
Read our COVID-19 guidance »
Become a Friend of Opera North today for just £5 per month and you’ll get the chance to experience even more extraordinary opera throughout the year with access to dress rehearsals, invitations to exclusive events and more…
Composer
Prima Donna/Ariadne
Tenor/Bacchus
Dancing Master
Zerbinetta
Truffaldino/Major-Domo
Naiad/Sponsor
Conductor
Director
Set and Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Choreographer