Details

It is the eve of the Battle of Marengo. Napoleon's army has caused chaos and disarray throughout all Italy. Against this background of political turmoil stands Floria Tosca, Rome's famous and most beautiful opera singer. To save her lover, Cavaradossi, she must sacrifice her virtue to the evil Baron Scarpia. Can the power of love and honour ever prevail against the forces of corruption and betrayal? Tosca is a moving and passionate exploration of personal freedom, the cost of ideals and the choices forced on us by love. Tosca is sensual, powerful, and vulnerable. The toast of the GDR elite in 1980s Berlin, she is above reproach, until her lover Cavaradossi helps a political prisoner to escape, putting Tosca at the mercy of Stasi chief Scarpia. Puccini's tautest drama is given a radical yet affectionate re-working, stripping the story to its most essential elements. A cast of just four singers will bring OperaUpClose's trademark intimacy and immediacy to this tale of love, lust, and the corrupting influence of power, while retaining all of the emotional impact of the original.

Cast/Performers

Becca Marriott (Tosca - some dates), Demelza Stafford (Tosca - some dates), Edaard Hughes (Cavaradossi - some dates), Gareth Dafydd Morris (Cavaradossi - some dates), James Harrison (Scarpia - some dates), Francis Church (Scarpia - some dates), Steven East (Caretaker), Tom Stoddart (Angelotti / Spoletta), Elspeth Wilkes (piano), Alison Holford (cello), William Rudge (cello), Sarah Douglas (clarinet), Fiona Mitchell (clarinet)

Creatives/Company

Music(s): Puccini, Danyal Dhondy (re-orchestration)
Lyrics(s): Giacosa, Illica
Presented by: Soho Theatre
Company: OperaUpClose
Director: Adam Spreadbury-Maher
Musical Director: Elspeth Wilkes
Design: Christopher Hone
Costume: Jonathan Lipman
Lighting: Seth Rook Williams