Guildhall Opera Double Bill

Italian comedy meets American satire. Two marriages, two worlds — one unmissable evening.

At first glance, Gian Carlo Menotti's sparkling comic opera Amelia al ballo and Leonard Bernstein's jazz-inflected Trouble in Tahiti could not be more different. Look closer, and they are in illuminating conversation.

Both centre on compelling female protagonists whose desires are constrained by the marriages meant to sustain them, offering a revealing portrait of two Western cultures at a 20th-century crossroads.

Rarely staged in the UK, Amelia al ballo follows the irrepressible Amelia as she outwits a suspicious husband and needy lover to attend the season's grandest ball.

In Trouble in Tahiti, Dinah and Sam's seemingly perfect suburban life masks deep unhappiness, exposing the cracks beneath the American dream.

Directed by Ashley Dean, this new double-bill production is set in the 1950s.

Amelia al ballo will be performed in Italian with English surtitles.

Approximate running time: 1hour 55 minutes including a 20-minute interval

Please note this production contains adult content, including scenes of slapstick violence and threats. There may be loud noises and haze.

Operas

Gian Carlo Menotti Amelia al ballo
Leonard Bernstein Trouble in Tahiti

Creative Team

Ashley Dean director
Dominic Wheeler conductor
Jake Wiltshire designer
Nic Farman lighting designer