Puccini’s Tosca returns to the London Coliseum in a gripping new production from English National Opera, directed by ENO Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon and sung, as ever, in English. One of the most thrilling operas ever written, it is a story of love, jealousy and defiance that plays out over a single night, powered by some of the most famous music in the repertoire.
The celebrated singer Floria Tosca is in love with the painter Mario Cavaradossi, but when the sadistic police chief Scarpia sets his sights on her and uses her lover as bait, she is forced into an impossible choice. What follows is a taut, verismo thriller of desire, cruelty and courage, building to a devastating finale and containing the beloved arias Vissi d’arte and E lucevan le stelle.
Following her acclaimed Dead Man Walking, Annilese Miskimmon reimagines the piece for our own times, moving the action from Rome in 1800 to a concert hall in an unnamed European state torn apart by civil conflict. In her hands a place of music becomes a site of fear and violence, and Tosca becomes an opera about the art of resistance in the face of oppression. Sung in English with surtitles at the largest theatre in the West End, it is grand opera at its most immediate and accessible.
Why it’s worth the watch
Tosca is the perfect way into opera and a treat for seasoned fans alike. Here is why this staging stands out:
- Sung in English. Follow every twist without taking your eyes off the stage, in Amanda Holden’s translation with surtitles.
- A gripping new production. ENO’s Annilese Miskimmon relocates the thriller to a modern state under siege, giving it fresh, urgent power.
- Music you already know. Vissi d’arte and E lucevan le stelle are among the most beloved arias ever written.
- A West End landmark. It plays the vast, gilded London Coliseum, the largest theatre in the West End, with tickets from just £25.