To Die for [A Comedy] - English National Opera

To Die for [A Comedy] - English National Opera description

You only have one night to see the amazing To Die for [A Comedy].

To Die for [A Comedy] is on stage at the London Coliseum for just one performance, the UK premiere of British-Russian composer Elena Langer's new opera inspired by Nikolai Erdman's 1928 play The Suicide. A lively black comedy farce, it explores society's obsession with celebrity, the way people are exploited to make money, the dark side of entertainment, voyeurism, and how we all need to accept the ups and downs of everyday life.

The opera, which was originally commissioned by Moscow's Stanislavsky Theatre, was cancelled after Russia invaded Ukraine because the authorities thought it wasn't patriotic enough. The Suicide, which inspired the opera, was itself banned before it ever reached the stage, creating an interesting synergy. 

The story takes place in Russia during the 1990s, where unemployed Semyon Podsekayev has somehow missed out on the economic boom of his ex-Soviet Union home country. When his new venture goes the way of all the others and fails, he decides to kill himself. Then his grand gesture is co-opted by horde of celeb-obsessed people keen to make a profit out of his misery, turning his suicide into a glittering TV spectacular to be broadcast live as it happens. Perhaps his life might be worthwhile after all... 

This new comic opera in two acts is directed by Sam Brown, the Artistic Director of the Nederlandse Reisopera, and conducted by Adrian Kelly, Artistic Director of the Buxton International Festival. There's a libretto by Arkady Zastyrets translated into English by Maggie F. Gottlieb. This is a guest production by Nederlandse Reisopera and Phion Symphony Orchestra, and it follows on from the opera's world premiere in The Netherlands. The action is sung in English, with English surtitles projected above the stage. 

Buy To Die for [A Comedy] tickets to experience a new opera that was banned, inspired by a play that was also banned. Double trouble! 

Playing at London Coliseum

St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4ES GB (venue info)

Directions