By Millie Zhou
On Good Friday, I had the lovely opportunity of attending a night at the opera watching Tosca, hosted at New Theatre Oxford. Conveniently located in the city centre, the walk from North Oxford was less than 15 minutes. We were greeted with friendly faces by the staff and guided to the attractive piano bar, where we enjoyed glasses of Prosecco and relished in good conversation before the show. Once the show was about to start, we took our seats inside the theatre and admired the live orchestra seated elegantly in front of the stage. The lights were dimmed as the vibrant red curtains hung closed from high ceilings. The anticipation was palpable for one of Giacomo Puccini's most famous and remarkable operas.
Tosca was written by Italian composer Giacmomo Puccini and originally premiered at Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. Based on a French playwright by Victorien Sardou, Tosca is a tragic story of love, lust, and murder. Set in Rome during the time of Napoleon's invasion of Italy, Tosca depicts a tale of political intrigue and romance. The plot centres around opera singer, Floria Tosca, as she fights to save her lover, Mario Cavaradossi, from the corrupted police chief, Baron Scarpia.
Although Tosca was set around the 19th century, the thrilling melodramatic opera can still be appreciated in modern times. At its core, Tosca is a tale of love and romance triumphing politics. When the opera comes to Oxford, attending a live performance is one of the best ways to experience the beauty of music, theatre, history, and all forms of human expression embodied in one production.
Check out Oxford New Theatre here for loads more upcoming productions: https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-theatre-oxford/