Puccini’s Tosca follows a complex and ill-fated triangle of passions: the naïve idealism of a painter, the state-sanctioned sadism of the Chief of Police and, caught between them, the beautiful diva whose ability to inspire passion is her fatal undoing.

Puccini’s music has such set pieces such as the ‘Te Deum’, ‘Vissi d’arte’ and ‘E lucevan le stelle’, linked by a musical drama that constantly winds up the tension towards the inevitable, fateful conclusion.

Jonathan Kent’s detailed production draws fully on the historical backdrop of Rome in 1800, beautifully evoked in Paul Brown’s lavish designs. The pageantry of church ritual, the darkness of a brooding study with its hidden torture chamber and the false optimism of a Roman dawn – all throw into relief the love of Tosca and Cavaradossi and the deadly, destructive obsession of Scarpia.

Sung in Italian with English surtitles.

Learn more about London operas within the West End.