Tosca

Overview

Three acts of love, torture, murder and suicide make up one of opera's most volatile and passionate works. Wildly popular the world over, Puccini's Tosca is a lover's tragedy set against the backdrop of an advancing war and political unrest. Containing many of Puccini's best loved arias, Tosca is both an ideal production for first time opera attendees and a highlight of the calendar for seasoned audiences.

With the French army fast encroaching on Rome, a Republican prisoner makes his escape and takes refuge in a church. The fugitive is aided by a painter working on a commissioned portrait, who happens to be the lover of a famous singer named Tosca - the original diva. Enter the Chief of Police, a villain hell bent on recouping and sentencing the escaped convict. As the lovers are caught in the crossfire, Tosca must make an impassioned sacrifice as she becomes entrapped in a despicable plot with disastrous outcomes.

A visceral work of opera, Puccini had no qualms in cutting down characters with what can best be described as Game of Thrones-esque panache. Internationally acclaimed singers Orla Boylan, Simon O'Neill and Phillip Rhodes are set to slay audiences in roles they were born to perform. New Zealand Opera's Tosca will be accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

Photo credit: Neil Mackenzie