SeatPlan Logo
Orpheus in the Underworld hero image
Orpheus in the Underworld hero image
Orpheus in the Underworld hero image

Orpheus in the Underworld Tickets

London Coliseum

Director Emma Rice’s ENO debut is the shimmering, riotous Orpheus in the Underworld, featuring Offenbach’s gorgeous operetta score. See it at the London Coliseum, where it plays for a strictly limited season.

Woman of the moment Emma Rice makes her ENO debut with a glittering new production that buzzes with theatricality. Orpheus in the Underworld is an all-singing, all-dancing operetta, built around Offenbach’s score. Catch it at the London Coliseum from 5 October 2019.

Orphée aux enfers (the original French title) is a comic opera first performed in 1858 Paris. Combining music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Ludovic Halévy and Hector Crémieux, the piece skewers the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The famous ‘Galop Infernal’ (aka the ‘Can-can’) originates from Offenbach’s score, and the show has been treated to a plethora of revivals, many featuring translations, across the globe.

Who needs Heaven when Hell is so much fun? After Eurydice’s marriage to Orpheus ends in tragedy, she is fooled into taking Pluto, king of the Underworld, as her lover. If Orpheus is to win her back, he must enlist the help of a posse of magnificent but frustratingly blasé gods.

Ed Lyon and Claudia Boyle star as Orpheus and Eurydice, alongside Alan Oke as John Styx and Sir Willard White in the part of Jupiter. They are joined by ENO Harewood Artists Idunnu Münch and Alex Otterburn as well as ENO Harewood Artist alumnus Mary Bevan. ENO’s former Music Director Sian Edwards conducts.

Emma Rice is the Artistic Director of theatre company Wise Children, which she set up in 2018. Her directing credits include Brief Encounter, Cymbeline and Wise Children.

Orpheus in the Underworld is the glittering soiree you always wanted to be invited to. Put on your party hat and step into Emma Rice’s world at the London Coliseum from 5 October 2019.

Sorry this show closed 28 November 2019, we recommend these similar productions.

Performance dates:
28 Nov 2019 - 28 Nov 2019
Running time:
2 hours and 25 minutes.
Age recommendation:
No under 5s
Audience Notes:
If you loved Emma Rice’s work for Kneehigh or for her company Wise Children, you won’t want to miss Orpheus in the Underworld, which boasts all her signature humour and playfulness. Fans of ENO’s grand productions will find the 2019/20 season does not disappoint.

Orpheus in the Underworld Reviews

3.8
24 Reviews
  • 5 Stars50%
  • 4 Stars13%
  • 3 Stars17%
  • 2 Stars13%
  • 1 Stars8%

User Reviews

The set was innovative and the cast were incredibly talented. Singing blew us away. A great experience for novices, definitely ignited our interest to see more opera.

Performance date: 01 November 2019
Verified
Performance date: 26 October 2019

Set design and lighting very innovative and practical - allowing change of sets quickly. Lighting was used well to change mood. Costumes were clever and quirky and fun. Singing, lovely. I loved the show. A good night.

Performance date: 28 November 2019
1/8
Your basket is empty.