COMING UP... or Castle Adamant

For our season finale we venture to the semi-fictional world of Princess Ida, for conductor John Wilson’s fresh take on Gilbert & Sullivan’s thorny 1884 comic opera.

Princess Ida has forsworn men and set up a women only university at Castle Adamant. Her childhood betrothed, Prince Hilarion, is determined not to be denied his ‘right’. He enters the University in disguise with two friends. What follows is a series of inter-sex machinations as each camp attempts to settle matters in their favour.

Sullivan produced some of his most sublime music in this opera, including the so-called ‘string of pearls’ in Act II featuring the exquisite quartet ‘The world is but a broken toy’.

Cast includes: Sophie Bevan as Princess Ida; Benjamin Hulett as Prince Hilarion; Robert Hayward as King Hildebrand; Simon Butteriss as King Gama / Narrator; Catherine Wyn-Rogers as Lady Blanche; Bethany HorakHallett as Lady Psyche; Marlena Devoe as Melissa; Ruairi Bowen as Cyril; Charles Rice as Florian; Morgan Pearse as Arac; Robert Davies as Guron; Jonathan Brown as Scynthius and Claire Ward as Sacharissa. With Greg Beardsell as chorus master and John Wilson as conductor.

7.00pm Wednesday 7 & Thursday 8 June

Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall