The UKRAINIAN Opera and Ballet Theatre Kyiv is returning to Malvern Theatres next month for a new production.
Ellen Kent, artistic director and producer, is returning to Malvern with the Ukrainian theatre group on February 5 with the production of Aida.
The opera, written by Verdi, tells a story of war, jealousy, revenge and the doomed love of an Ethiopian slave girl, Aida, and the Egyptian hero, Radames.
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Ellen Kent said: “I have produced and directed many Aida’s over the years and it still remains the biggest challenge a producer can face.
"I have staged many sell-out performances of Aida’s at the Royal Albert Hall with a cast of hundreds, with ticket touts outside selling tickets to those who still wanted to see the show, arena and outdoor Aida’s in the middle east and in the UK and in many regional theatres from Liverpool Empire to Limerick Concert Hall in Ireland.
"My vision of Aida matches Verdi’s vision and I try and give Aida the grandeur which Verdi achieved in the first production in Egypt when he was commissioned to write an opera for the opening of the Suez Canal and premiered in Cairo in 1871.
"From dancing alabaster fountains, Las Vegas style and made in India, life-size bejewelled elephants, walls of fire, fire spinners, ballet and Bedouin dancers, enormous sets which have to fit into large to smaller spaces and now for the first time I am introducing a black stallion into the larger venues.
"I want all my public to enjoy the grandeur of this magnificent opera, in my opinion, the best score Verdi ever wrote – not an easy task.
"My Aida’s have been described as “The Las Vegas of operas” which I regard as a compliment. Even now, it’s my ambition to stage Aida on the banks of the Nile with a cast of thousands.”
When Ellen Kent's production of Madama Butterfly came to Malvern in 2022, the cast performed the Ukrainian national anthem in solidarity with those fighting against the Russian invasion at the end of the performance, receiving a huge round of applause.
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The group is returning later this year with a performance of La Boheme in May.
Tickets start at £29.68 and are available from https://www.malvern-theatres.co.uk/whats-on/aida-2/ or via the box office at 01684 892277.
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