Tosca isn’t my favourite but this new production directed by Oliver Mears was absolutely superb. It helps that Anna Netrebko was starring (and my god did she star) but the set design, costumes, staging and lighting is what made it...
Tosca




The splendour of Rome. The devastation of war. Puccini’s operatic thriller returns in an epic new production. As the first collaboration between Mears – the Royal Ballet & Opera director of opera – and its new music director Jakub Hrůša, as well as RBO’s first new production of Tosca in almost 20 years this is a high-stakes production.
Mears’ Rome is a (slightly drab) 20th-century war zone. The chapel’s sacristan clears rubbish into a plastic bin bag; Cavaradossi is part of a restoration effort. The police chief Scarpia is an oleaginous CEO (1970s double-breasted suit, combover and a constant, fidgeting need to wipe his hands) with late-20th-century surveillance equipment and a team of thugs.
3 hours
From: September 11th, 2025
Until: October 7th, 2025
14+
RECOMMENDED BY
Not yet recommended
What our culture curators are saying
RECENTLY REVIEWED
GIANT
“I was lucky enough to see this at The Royal Court and it was unforgettable. John Lithgow transforms into a complex, curmudgeonly Roald Dahl and leaves you with your jaw on the floor by the play's end. Sophisticated in its writing, Giant is deceptively witty, haunting and timely.”
My Melodrama
Share a commentWe’d love to hear your thoughts
You must be logged in to post a comment.