London Opera | 30 November – 18 December 2026
The Royal Opera is staging a playfully surreal new production of Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball) this Christmas season. Here are five reasons to book.
1. A director with a pop video background
Philipp Stölzl makes his Royal Opera debut as director and designer. His career spans music videos for Madonna and Mick Jagger, film, and opera in Berlin and Amsterdam, so expect ingenious sets and visually arresting action.
2. An all-star cast
Charles Castronovo plays the love-struck king Gustavo III, with Malin Byström as Amelia and Aleksei Isaev as her husband, Count Anckarstroem. Anita Rachvelishvili and Kseniia Nikolaieva share the role of the fortune teller.
3. Conducted by the Music Director
The Royal Opera’s Music Director Jakub Hrůša conducts Verdi’s richly layered score, a story of love, jealousy and political intrigue loosely based on the assassination of a Swedish king.
4. Celebrating Joan Sutherland’s centenary
Dame Joan Sutherland’s breakthrough role was Amelia in this opera in 1952. To mark her centenary, a new portrait bust by Etienne Millner will go on display in the Pit Lobby, and her La traviata dress will be shown in the Bow Street café.
5. Tickets from £12
Tickets range from £12 to £324, so it’s an accessible way to try opera at the Royal Opera House. It’s sung in Italian with English surtitles and lasts about 2 hours 50 minutes. You can also hear from the director and cast at an Insight event on 11 November.
Tickets and info
Un ballo in maschera
Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London WC2E 9DD
30 November – 18 December 2026
£12 – £324
Nearest station: Covent Garden