Organization

Grimeborn Opera Festival

Conductor

Lindsay Bramley

Stage director

Benjamin Newhouse-Smith

Producer

Naomi Kilby

Christopher Killerby

Singer

Baritone

Alistair Sutherland

Le Chevalier Des Grieux

Tenor

Tiberge

Mezzo-soprano

Caroline Carragher

Jean

Soprano

Aurore

Ian Massa-Harris

Torquemada

Alicia Gurney

Concepcion

David Woods

Gonzalve

René Bloice-Sanders

Ramiro

Bass

Matthew Duncan

Don Inigo Gomez

Opera Alegría

English

The Portrait of Manon / L’Heure Espagnole

London

United Kingdom

Arcola Theatre

Studio 2

The Portrait of Manon / L’Heure Espagnole: Poster

Public

Private

The Portrait of Manon

The Spanish Hour

Approved

Opera Alegría presents
THE PORTRAIT OF MANON / L’HEURE ESPAGNOLE
Sung in English with libretti by Lindsay Bramley
Directed by Benjamin Newhouse-Smith

“What next?” is a question not often asked in opera. Will Rodolfo ever love again? Can Guglielmo and Fiordiligi’s marriage really succeed? Do the Rhinemaidens need better terms and conditions this time…? Massenet, however, has given it a go. Manon has died in the desert, bemoaning the rich life she might have had were it not for love. She leaves behind her lover, heartbroken and bereft. What next? In this new production of this one-act opera, we find De Grieux, having shuttered away his heart, eking out a solitary existence, batting away the world’s obsession with love and good spirits like summer midges. And when his pupil professes not only love, but love for one considerably outside their social circle, he is adamant that it cannot continue. But love can only be buried so deep, and memories of Manon may yet crack his cold exterior. What next..?

Where The portrait of Manon tells a story of the aftermath of a great love and the fresh beginnings of a new love, L’heure espagnole sees its central character in a stable secure marriage… into which she is determined to inject a little excitement. In this revival of their highly successful 2018 production, Opera Alegría examines what she ought to seek in a lover – The airy extempore of a poet? Or the grandeur of a local politician? Perhaps the answer is right under her nose among the clock-faces in her husband’s shop?

The Portrait of Manon / L’Heure Espagnole by Massenet, Ravel, From (2023/2023), Directed by Benjamin Newhouse-Smith,, Conductor Lindsay Bramley, Arcola Theatre, London, United Kingdom

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Co-Producer

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues