Puccini's Manon Lescaut is coming to Covent Garden for the first time in two decades, making 17th June an eagerly anticipated date in the opera world. This is a new production by Jonathan Kent, who directed the Royal Opera House's much-loved 2006 staging of Tosca. Much has been made of the five librettists that the composer worked with when composing the opera, but it is also remarkable that Manon Lescaut borrows musical material from a number of Puccini’s earlier works, including madrigals and various compositions for strings.
The opera tells the story of Manon meeting and falling in love with the young student Des Grieux on her way to the convent. The pair escape to Paris, but when the elderly Geronte offers Manon a life of wealth and luxury, her head is turned.
At least to some, the evening might offer the opportunity for some form of Puccini-themed Bingo, as well as the wonderful experience of seeing a masterpiece handled by a director at the top of his game. Tickets are on sale from 19th March for Friends of Covent Garden.
Opera lovers are also looking forward to a revival of Kent's Tosca (May 10 - June 26). The Main Stage will be transformed once more into a murky, twilit church, with Plácido Domingo taking up the baton for the production. Nobody knows the ebb and flow of a Puccini opera quite like one of The Three Tenors, so expect great things.
Tickets: £48-£195
Address and Map: Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD
Underground: Covent Garden
| What | Manon Lescaut - Royal Opera House |
| Where | Royal Opera House, Bow Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DD | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Acton Town (underground) |
| When |
17 Jun 14 – 07 Jul 14, 7pm |
| Price | £48-195 |
| Website | Click here to book via the Royal Opera House |