The Opera Locos

May 8, 2024

8th-11th May 2024

The Opera Locos is the musical equivalent of Liquorice Allsorts – colourful, sugary and irresistible.

Five hugely talented singers that could hold their own against the sopranos and tenors of the Royal Opera House chorus a stone’s throw away from the Peacock Theatre gave it their all – and more.

Their comic opera show is for those who love opera – and for those who don’t know their Aidas from their arias. They belt out all the favourite opera classics from Carmen and La Traviata with an infusion of rock and pop from Whitney Houston to Mika.

“The Opera Locos is the musical equivalent of Liquorice Allsorts – colourful, sugary and irresistible.”

Go Compare meets Just One Cornetto and the British Airways ad from the Flower Duet. Audience-pleasers, every one, spiced with OTT melodrama, laugh out loud humour, crazy costumes and an opulent set.

The one and a half hour show opens with a rather unnecessary announcement: ‘The singers in this show do perform their songs live.’ You bet they do. And their infectious enthusiasm has the audience clapping and even singing, with encouragement from the cast. Who can resist an opera masterclass conducted by a diminutive baritone with a Little Richard quiff?

Following a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in summer 2023, award-winning Spanish theatre company Yllana brings this confection to the Peacock, Sadler’s Wells’ home in the West End. What’s kept them so long? And why only a four night one matinée run?

With a heady mix of comedy, sumptuous costumes of leather, liberal sequins and satin, sporting crazy colourful hairdos, the troupe tantalises and teases, lurching between pathos and hilarity.

The Opera Locos, which won Spain’s prestigious Max Award for Best Musical Show, has notched up rave reviews with performances in 300 cities in 16 countries throughout Europe, Asia and America. Its international cast hails from Spain and Africa.

Founded in 1991, Yllana specialises in comedy and physical theatre. The Opera Locos is created and co-directed by Joseph O’Curneen and David Ottone with musical direction by Marc Alvarez and Manuel Coves, costumes and set design by Tatiana de Sarabia and lighting design by Pedro Pablo Melendo. The orchestra accompaniment is pre-recorded by Orquestra Sinfonica VERUM under the baton of Manuel Coves.

The very loose plot involves a troupe of eccentric opera singers – played by Enrique Sánchez-Ramos, Jesús Álvarez, María Rey-Joly, Mayca Teba and Michaël Koné – who perform a repertoire from the greatest operatic composers. The characters each reveal their hidden passions and frailties that bring unpredictable and comedic consequences. Bubbles of sexual desire burst to the surface as romance blossoms with roses clenched between teeth.

The group is made up of five colourful characters including fat-suited Alfredo, a worn-out tenor with a glorious and much slimmer past, wild mezzo soprano Carmen, Enrique, the macho baritone, pop-loving counter-tenor Franelli and Maria, a naive soprano.

Crammed into this treat of a show is music from classic operas including Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte Verdi’s La Traviata, Puccini’s La Boèhme and Madama Butterfly Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Bizet’s Carmen alongside pop and rock hits such as Mika’s ‘Grace Kelly’, Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’, Whitney Houston’s ‘I will always love you’, Bob Marley’s ‘No woman no cry’ Céline Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ Elton John’s ‘Can you feel the love tonight’ and U2’s ‘With or without you’.

What a yummy Pick’n’Mix.