Royal Opera House, London
Running time: 3hrs 50mins (including two intervals)
Age Restrictions: This production is recommended for ages 5+.
Tickets from £51.00
Richard Jones’s Olivier Award-winning production of Handel's opera returns with many of the original cast, including Emily D’Angelo as the lovestruck Ruggiero and Lisette Oropesa as the glittering enchantress Alcina.
Alcina, an enchantress, uses her magical powers to lure her lovers to her island. When she tires of them, she transforms them into animals. Ruggiero is her latest conquest – but his wife, Bradamante, has vowed to rescue him. Bradamante arrives on Alcina’s island, disguised as ‘Ricciardo’, a man, and there the games begin. When Morgana, Alcina’s sister, is immediately attracted to him, Morgana’s jealous lover, Oronte, falsely states that Alcina is in love with ‘Ricciardo’ too. As Alcina’s web of sorcery and seduction comes under pressure, can she retain the affections of Ruggiero? Or will Bradamante succeed in winning back her husband?
Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
Bow Street
London
WC2E 9DD
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in the London district of Covent Garden. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Originally called the Theatre Royal, it served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. In 1734, the first ballet was presented. A year later Handel's first season of operas began. Many of his operas and oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres there.
The current building is the third theatre on the site following disastrous fires in 1808 and 1857. The façade, foyer and auditorium date from 1858, but almost every other element of the present complex dates from an extensive reconstruction in the 1990s. The Royal Opera House seats 2,268 people and consists of four tiers of boxes and balconies and the amphitheatre gallery. The proscenium is 12.20 m wide and 14.80 m high. The main auditorium is a Grade 1 listed building.
Travel by train: Charing Cross. Nearest tube: Covent Garden
