ENGLISH Touring Opera will next month deliver a double bill of high-powered performance.

On Friday, June 1, the company will present an energetic new production of one of the world’s most beloved operas, Mozart’s classic comedy The Marriage of Figaro.

During the course of one eventful day, Figaro and Susanna must overcome every obstacle put in their way by Count Almaviva and his cronies before they can finally be united as man and wife.

Blanche McIntyre (Tosca, 2017) returns to direct this most warm-hearted of operas, equally acclaimed for its sublime music and huge sense of fun.

Also in the cast are Dawid Kimberg (Count), Ross Ramgobin (Figaro), Rachel Redmond (Susanna), Nadine Benjamin (Countess), Katherine Aitken (Cherubino), Omar Ebrahim (Bartolo), Gaynor Keeble (Marcellina), Abigail Kelly (Barbarina), Devon Harrison (Antonio), John-Colyn Gyeantey (Basilio).

The production is sung in English with subtitles.

On Saturday, June 2, English Touring Opera presents Puccini’s one-act operas Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi. They could hardly be more different: one is a moody romance ending in a grotesque murder on a barge in Paris, and the other is a sparkling comedy about a family inheritance in Florence.

First performed in 2011 to great critical acclaim, this double bill shows Puccini at his finest as a master of the theatre that speaks to the heart.

Sung in Italian with English surtitles.

The cast of Il tabarro is Craig Smith (Michele), Sarah-Jane Lewis (Giorgetta), Charne Rochford (Luigi), Andrew Glover (Tinca), Timothy Dawkins (Talpa), Luciano Botelho (Young Lover).

Gianni Schicchi cast: Andrew Slater (Gianni Schicchi), Galina Averina (Lauretta), Luciano Botelho (Rinuccio), Bradley Travis (Betto), Andrew Glover (Gherardo), Timothy Dawkins (Simone), Joanna Skillett (Nella), Clarissa Meek (Zita), Ed Ballard (Marco).

  • English Touring Opera, Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro, York Theatre Royal, Fri 1 June, 7.30pm; Puccini: Il Tabarro & Gianni Schicchi, York Theatre Royal, Sat 2 June, 7.30pm Tickets from £18. Contact the box office 01904-623568 or http://yorktheatreroyal.co.uk for tickets. Pre-show talks for both productions before the performances at 6.30pm