Following their critically acclaimed five-week run at London’s Arcola Theatre, Olivier Award-winning OperaUpClose launch the 2018 UK tour of Tchaikovksy’s Eugene Onegin.

This new English version by Robin Norton-Hal transposes the story of Tatyana’s sexual awakening to the early 1960s, a world on the cusp of the women’s liberation movement when new thinking fought against the old ways. Infatuation and self-restraint do battle in a well-tailored world of sleek suits and full skirts, with seasonal allusions to the snow-swept Russian landscape of the original story.

Directed by Lucy Bradley (Glyndebourne Education and OperaUpClose’s Award-winning Blank Canvas), musically directed from the piano by rising star Sonia Ben Santamaria (Link Artist on the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, 2017/18 Season) and designed by Rosanna Vize (2013 Linbury Prize finalist); this is a coming-of-age story, a requiem for lost innocence and triumphant celebration of hard-won independence – told through some of the most glorious music ever written.

OperaUpClose’s Artistic Director Robin Norton-Hale said, “It’s been thrilling to work on this feminist re-telling of this rich, complex opera with such a talented team. As Tchaikovsky himself identified strongly with Tatyana, and many opera-lovers agree the opera could have been called after its female protagonist, we feel this is a timely re-examination of this wonderful piece”.

See Eugene Onegin at Malvern Theatres on Saturday, June 2 at 7.30pm. To book, call the box office on 01684 892277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk