From Boy, to King, to Man.

In this ENO first, join us for May Day celebrations in a fresh and witty new take on Britten’s much-loved coming-of-age comedy.

Following the success of ENO’s previous semi-staged productions – Gloriana, Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, and Suor Angelica – Albert Herring will be directed and designed by multi-award winning Antony McDonald and conducted by Daniel Cohen, making his ENO debut on the podium.

Overview

Loxford, 1943. A typical small market town, where nothing escapes the eye of the redoubtable Lady Billows and her housekeeper Florence Pike. When there are no virtuous girls left in the village, the May Queen organising committee decide to break with tradition and crown the shy and innocent greengrocer’s boy Albert Herring as the May King.

But heavy is the head that wears the May King crown, and Albert’s friend Sid intervenes with some mischievous assistance throughout the day as Albert accepts his fate and the cash prize. Join us as Albert’s newfound village status leads to an alcohol-fuelled night of debauchery and self-discovery.

Showing in London and Salford, this funny, quirky and off-centre opera is the perfect commentary on small town eccentricities and will be sure to set curtains twitching and tongues wagging, up and down the country.

Discover more about the story of Albert Herring on our dedicated page.

Staging & Score

Composed in 1947, Britten demonstrates his versatility by creating a good-natured comedy. From its gentle ribbing of English Victorian music to its sly quote from Wagner, his light-hearted touch lets the humour shine through the music. The score also requires the same thirteen instruments that he used in his previous opera The Rape of Lucretia.

Singers & Creatives

Our unlikely rebel Albert is played by tenor Caspar Singh, and Mrs Herring, his overbearing mother, is played by Leah-Marian Jones, Emma Bell plays Lady Billows, Mark Le Brocq plays Mr Upfold, the Mayor with Sir Willard White as Superintendent Budd.

This production has been made possible through the generous support of a syndicate comprising Mr R Bridge, Kieran Cooper, Liz Cratchley OBE, Alan McLean, Kate Olver & Jeremy Young, Stephen & Margaret Bickford-Smith, and Roy Shutz, and the support of Marian & Gordon Pell and Colwinston Charitable Trust.