Tosca
Royal Opera House
5/5 based on 4 reviews (read reviews)- Opens: Monday, 12 April 2027 -
Booking until: Wednesday, 5 May 2027 - Running time: 3hr. Incl. 2 intervals.
Tosca description
Love, politics and a deadly bargain collide in Puccini's Tosca, set in a war-torn Rome of today.
The singer Floria Tosca and the painter Mario Cavaradossi are devoted to each other and to their art. When Cavaradossi shelters an escaped political prisoner, the couple fall into the hands of Baron Scarpia, the city's feared Chief of Police. Scarpia has Cavaradossi arrested and tortured while he hunts the fugitive, then offers Tosca a choice: give herself to him, or watch her lover die. Over a single day and night, her answer decides the fate of all three.
Puccini's opera, with a libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica based on Victorien Sardou's play La Tosca, premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome in 1900. Its score includes the arias Vissi d'arte and E lucevan le stelle. This is a revival of Oliver Mears's production for the Royal Opera House, which moves the action from 1800 to a contemporary Rome at war, placing the story's themes of state power and resistance in a recognisable modern conflict. It is sung in Italian with English surtitles.
The production is directed by Oliver Mears, Director of Opera at the Royal Ballet and Opera, whose work for the company also includes Rigoletto. Sets are by Simon Lima Holdsworth, costumes by Ilona Karas and lighting by Fabiana Piccioli. The conductor is Daniel Oren, an Israeli conductor known for the Italian repertoire who has a long association with the Royal Opera House.
Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak sings the title role, having appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera and the Royal Opera House. Albanian tenor Saimir Pirgu is Cavaradossi; his career has taken him to the Salzburg Festival, La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera. British baritone Christopher Maltman, whose roles include Don Giovanni and Simon Boccanegra, plays Scarpia.
Book Tosca tickets to see Puccini's political thriller unfold in a present-day city at war.
Playing at Royal Opera House
Age restrictions
Ages 14+.
Important information
This production contains depictions of executions, violence, blood, gore, murder, sexual assault, implied torture and suicide. There are gunshots in Act III with blank shots fired. These can be loud.
Performance Times
Tosca cheap tickets
Tosca news
05Sep