THE BARBER OF SEVILLE Comes to Wilton's Music Hall in March

This Spring, Charles Court Opera makes a welcome return to Wilton’s with a sizzling production of Rossini’s comic masterpiece, The Barber of Seville.  With Rossini’s fizzing musical score and witty character illustrations, this delicious adaption has been given the Charles Court Opera treatment with a thoroughly inventive twist.  The action has been transported to the Wild West in this fresh and witty version that exploits every nuance, every note of one of the greatest comedies in the operatic canon.

The famed Figaro has emigrated and finds Count Almaviva, disguised as a cowboy in Bartolo’s Old Western saloon bar, sighing over the beautiful Rosina as she serenades the snoozing regulars. Cue bad disguises, barbering, and bar brawls in this perfect production for Wilton’s.

The cast includes Nicholas Watts (Title role in Orpheus, Opera North/South Asian Arts UK, Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw, Opera North) and Joseph Doody (Ramiro in La Cenerentola, English Touring Opera, Alessandro in Il re pastore, Buxton International Festival) doubling as Count Almaviva, Jonathan Eyers (Perückenmacher in Ariadne auf Naxos, Garsington Opera, Bonafede in Il mondo della luna, Bampton Classical Opera) as Figaro,Samantha Price (Title role in Iolanthe, English National Opera and  Second Lady in The Magic Flute, Royal Opera House) and Meriel Cunningham (Title role in Carmen, Prologue Opera, Pitti-sing in The Mikado, Charles Court Opera) doubling as Rosina, Matthew Kellett (Robin in Ruddigore, CCO/Opera Holland Park, Papageno in The Magic Flute, CCO/Iford Arts) as Bartolo, Hugo Herman-Wilson (The Fairy Queen, Les Arts Florissants, cover Monsieur Presto, Les Mamelles de Tiresias, Glyndebourne) as Basilio, Catrine Kirkman (Lady Jane in Patience, Charles Court Opera, Miss Jessel in The Turn of The Screw, Opera Up Close) as Berta and Arthur Bruce (Schaunard in La boheme, Scottish Opera, Belcore in The Elixir of Love, Longborough Festival Opera) as Fiorello.

The production is directed by CCO’s Artistic Director, John Savournin, whose recent productions include Ruddigore for CCO/Opera Holland Park and The Magic Flute for CCO/Iford Arts.  Productions at Wilton’sinclude the OFFIE award winning Patience.  It is sung in a sparkling English version written by CCO’s Musical Director, David Eaton.  Set and costume design is by by Good Teeth, with Lighting design by Ben Pickersgill.

Charles Court Opera’s Artistic Director, John Savournin, says, “I’m absolutely delighted that we are creating this new production at Wilton’s - the PERFECT space for it - and I’m particularly excited to collaborate with this first-rate cast.  This is going to be special.”

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