That Bastard, Puccini!

The cast has been announced for That Bastard, Puccini! which is making its world premiere in London this Summer at Park Theatre, 10th July – 9th August. Written by James Inverne, this compelling new comedy-drama will explore the high-stakes chaos surrounding Giacomo Puccini and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s race to claim La Bohème as their own, leading to a scandalous ‘battle of the Bohemes’, as each created their own version.

Bringing to life a hilarious and captivating story of musical plagiarism, fierce competition, and an explosive rivalry between two of opera’s legendary composers, are Alasdair Buchan (The Mousetrap, West End; The Da Vinci Code, UK Tour) as the ambitious and hot-headed Leoncavallo and Sebastien Torkia (Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Menier Chocolate Factory; The Red Shoes, RSC Stratford) as the charismatic and egotistical Giacomo Puccini. Alongside them will be Lisa-Anne Wood (Wicked, West End; Phantom of the Opera, West End) as Leoncavallo's wife Berthe, who finds herself increasingly entangled in the chaos of this high-stakes artistic clash.

Audiences will be transported back to 1893, where two of Italy’s most renowned composers, Puccini and Leoncavallo, find themselves locked in an intense rivalry that will shape the future of opera. Puccini is tantalisingly close to being hailed as Italy's newest opera king, yet the two composers are not only fighting for fame and glory but for their place in history, as they confront the true cost of ambition, and creativity, in the pursuit of greatness.

Directed by internationally acclaimed opera and theatre director Daniel Slater, That Bastard Puccini! invites audiences to delve deeper into the world of Puccini and the great composers, where art is also business, and genius its currency. By turns dramatic and hilarious, the play seeks to explore the true, searing cost of artistic ambition, asking how far great artists will go to be remembered… and just what they’re willing to sacrifice to get there.

Tickets available from £16 previews/ £28 standard - BOOK NOW

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