In a first ever collaboration, English National Opera and the Unicorn join forces in presenting Dido, a contemporary staging of Purcell’s powerful and emotionally charged masterpiece, Dido and Aeneas, for young audiences.
Belinda is the only child of Dido. A teenager like any other, in any big city. We watch through her eyes as her mother – heroine, feminist icon, modern parent – slowly starts to fall apart, with tragic consequences.
The Unicorn’s former Artistic Director Purni Morell directs a company of twenty-two that includes three principal singers: Rachael Lloyd as Dido, Njabulo Madlala as Aeneas and Eyra Norman as Belinda. They will be performing with a chorus of twelve and seven musicians from the ENO orchestra, in this searing new production for teenagers and adults, conducted by Valentina Peleggi – the ENO Mackerras Conducting Fellow.
Originally composed for a girls’ boarding school in 1689, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas is one of the most admired operas in the English canon – a timeless and tragic story of love, suffering and isolation set to some of the most sublime and exquisite music ever written. This production, faithful to the Baroque score, refocuses the piece so that it is seen through Belinda’s eyes and the epic story is brought into contemporary relief in all its visceral truth. For some this will be a chance to see a familiar and much-loved opera in a new light, while for many in its young audience it will be an incredible first experience of a classic.
Dido is designed by Khadija Raza, a finalist of the Linbury Prize 2017.
Age guide: 11 – adult / Duration: Approx 1 hr 15 mins
Sung in English
Unicorn Theatre 147 Tooley Street, London SE1 2HZ
www.unicorntheatre.com
Box Office: 020 7645 0560
Twitter/Instagram: @unicorn_theatre
Facebook: www.facebook.com/unicorntheatre
Preview prices 11 - 12 May: Under 18s £8 - £14, Adults £10 - £20
Weekday prices: Under 18s £8 - £16, Adults £12 - £22
Weekend prices: Under 18s £10 - £18, Adults £14 - £24
Family & Friends offer from 15 May: Buy 4 tickets and save 15% (must include 1 adult / child ticket and excludes other offers).
A Unicorn / English National Opera Production
DIDO
Directed by Purni Morell
Conducted by Valentina Peleggi
Designed by Khadija Raza
Lighting by David W Kidd
Saturday 11 May – Sunday 2 June 2019
