Opera Comes to the High Street: English Touring Opera Brings Pagliacci and The Gondoliers to Hackney Empire
English Touring Opera bring fizzing new productions of The Gondoliers and freshly translated Pagliacci to Hackney Empire this April, delivering world-class opera with energy, mischief, and East London flair.
Opera is usually the sort of thing you imagine in glittering auditoriums or tucked away in the West End, but in April, Hackney Empire gets the kind of injection it rarely sees: two brand-new productions from English Touring Opera. They’re bringing the comic chaos of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers on Saturday 11 April, and the dark, head-turning drama of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci the night before, Friday 10 April.
The Gondoliers is the company’s first stab at Gilbert and Sullivan’s fizzing tale of mistaken identity, royal confusion, and social satire. Liam Steel, an Olivier Award-winning director and choreographer, returns to ETO after his Patience and Paul Bunyan triumph. Robin Bailey and Samuel Pantcheff take on the roles of Marco and Giuseppe, with mezzo Lauren Young as the Duchess of Plaza-Toro, and Phil Wilcox stepping in as the ever-confused Duke.
Meanwhile, Pagliacci offers a complete tonal pivot. Robin Norton-Hale’s fresh English translation sets the story of obsession, jealousy, and public heartbreak squarely in the realm of human drama. Eleanor Burke, making her ETO directorial debut, draws inspiration from Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor’s tempestuous relationship, turning the stage into a kind of opera soap opera.
ETO’s collaboration with Streetwise Opera on Reimagining the Classics puts local performers alongside ETO musicians for a 15-minute pre-show mini-opera. It’s part workshop, part performance, and it’s exactly the kind of hands-on, “opera for everyone” approach that makes these Hackney dates feel unlike any other opera night in town.
For the younger audience, there’s Ada and the Code Crusaders, a new children’s opera exploring the life of Ada Lovelace. Performed in East London schools and featuring cast members from the main productions, it’s proof that opera can be playful, smart, and accessible without ever losing its theatrical punch.
Pagliacci arrives on 10 April, The Gondoliers on 11 April. Tickets and more information are available at englishtouringopera.org.uk.
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.