The Handmaid’s Tale returns to ENO from February 1. The Dystopian Opera by Poul Ruders is based on Margaret Atwood’s chilling 1985 novel of the same name, and tells a story of courage and survival in the face of repression. Having been staged all over the world since its premiere in 2000, the ENO brings the opera back to London following a successful 2022 run earning the production a spot on the shortlist for the 2023 RPS Awards.
“What drives the opera forward is Ruders’s compelling, eclectic score, with its enviable range of orchestral resources (slightly reduced for this staging) so well deployed, evoking terror, pity, fear, and just occasionally love.”
Nicholas Kenyon (The Telegraph, 2022)
Featuring a score drawing on medieval chants and gospel music, together with a minimalist libretto by Paul Bentley, this production captures the dissonant brutality of the Republic of Gilead.
In Gilead, women have been entirely stripped of their freedom and rights. Fertile women, Handmaids, are forced to reproduce with Commanders of the Republic. Terror is a daily reality for Handmaid Offred, our protagonist, who defies the regime, refusing to surrender her identity and independence.
Directed by Annilese Miskimmon, the ENO’s Artistic Director, and conducted by Joana Carneiro, the ENO’s production of The Handmaid’s Tale has an exceptional cast – including mezzo-sopranos Kate Lindsey (Offred) and Susan Bickley (Offred’s mother), alongside soprano Rachel Nicholls (Aunt Lydia), contralto Avery Amereau (Serena Joy), and ENO Harewood Artist John Findon (Luke).
Book tickets now to catch one of 5 performances between February 1-15.
Update: ENO strike is suspended. Read more here
