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THE BARTERED BRIDE

Bedřich Smetana

Event details

30 June - 23 July 2023

This is a story of thwarted love and arranged marriage, an arrangement which the spirited heroine, Mařenka, is not prepared to accept. She has to use every last ounce of determination, charm and cunning that she possesses in order to marry the man she loves, encountering bribery, corruption and parental opposition along the way. Smetana’s opera has come to be seen as a celebration of Czech culture and identity, which translates here into a more familiar setting, complete with village pub and a maypole on the green. Dance is at the heart and soul of The Bartered Bride – from the intoxicatingly lively overture to a riotous and festive polka. There’s a circus with jugglers and acrobats, an escaped bear, rousingly beery drinking songs and heart-stopping love duets and arias. It’s an irresistible combination.

Sung in Czech with English supertitles

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The Bartered Bride 2023

30 June - 23 July 2023

30 June - 23 July 2023

Cast & Creative Team

Cast

Mařenka

Pumeza Matshikiza

Jenìk

Oliver Johnston

Kecal

David Ireland

Vašek

John Findon

Ludmila

Yvonne Howard

Krušina

William Dazeley

Ringmaster

Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts

Esmeralda

Isabelle Peters

Mícha

John Savournin

Háta

Louise Winter

Creative Team

Conductor

Jac van Steen

Director

Rosie Purdie

original production by Paul Curran

Designer

Kevin Knight

Lighting Designer

Howard Hudson

Choreographer

Darren Royston
Philharmonia Orchestra
Garsington Opera Chorus
Circus Troupe

led by Jennifer Robinson

Gallery

People in 1950s dress dance around a maypole. An image from Garsington Opera's 2023 performance of 'The Bartered Bride' by Smetana.
View all 10 images
A man in a blue checked shirt stands close to a woman in a long teal and green dress, perched on the end of a table. An image from Garsington Opera's 2023 performance of 'The Bartered Bride' by Smetana.
A man sits at a pub table, surrounded by a large crowd of people. An image from Garsington Opera's 2023 performance of 'The Bartered Bride' by Smetana.
A clown attempts to lift himself up inside a giant metal hoop, legs flailing around. An image from Garsington Opera's 2023 performance of 'The Bartered Bride' by Smetana.
A woman in a pink dress, stands on the head of a man in a black military style jacket, both with arms outstretched. These are some of the circus performers from Garsington Opera's 2023 performance of 'The Bartered Bride' by Smetana.
© Julian Guidera
A man in 1950s dress tries, and fails, to get on to a unicycle. Around him are circus performers. An image from Garsington Opera's 2023 performance of 'The Bartered Bride' by Smetana.
© Julian Guidera
A man in a dark grey suit stands on a chair to berate a taller man, who shies away from his outstretched finger. An image from Garsington Opera's 2023 performance of 'The Bartered Bride' by Smetana.
© Julian Guidera
A woman dressed in a bright plum suit with a matching pork pie hat sings next to a tall man in a dark, double breasted suit. An image from Garsington Opera's 2023 performance of 'The Bartered Bride' by Smetana.
© Alice Pennefather
A man dressed as a ring master sits surrounded by a group of people dressed in colourful circus outfits. An image from Garsington Opera's 2023 performance of 'The Bartered Bride' by Smetana.
© Alice Pennefather
A man in grey lies on the ground clutching a brief case. Around him stands a massive crowd of people in 1950s dress and circus attire. An image from Garsington Opera's 2023 performance of 'The Bartered Bride' by Smetana.
© Julian Guidera