The Moderate Soprano

Olivier Award winners Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll star as Glyndebourne founder John Christie and soprano Audrey Mildmay, in The Moderate Soprano, reprising the roles they originated in the sold out run at Hampstead Theatre in 2015. The cast is completed by Paul Jesson as Dr Fritz Busch, Anthony Calf as Professor Carl Ebert, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Rudolf Bing and Jade Williams as Jane Smith.

Designed by multi award-winning theatre and opera designer, Bob Crowley, lighting design is by Paule Constable (Olivier and Tony award winner for Lighting Design), sound design by Simon Baker (Olivier award winner and Tony nominee for Sound Design), original music composed by Paul Englishby (Emmy award winning Composer) and video designed by Luke Halls (Knight of Illumination Award for Video Design).

The two great passions in John Christie’s life were opera and a beautiful young soprano, Audrey Mildmay, with whom he was completely smitten. Together with his formidable drive, they fuelled what many first saw as a monumental folly in the South Downs. Glyndebourne was triumphantly born amidst stiff manhattans, rolling lawns and the sound of sheep from across the HaHa. It was to become revered the world over. David Hare’s new play, The Moderate Soprano, first seen at Hampstead Theatre, is the story of an intense love affair and the unrelenting search for artistic excellence in the face of searing scrutiny, sacrifice and the impending Second World War.

The Moderate Soprano is produced in the West End by Matthew Byam Shaw, Nia Janis and Nick Salmon for Playful Productions, Caro Newling for Neal Street Productions, Karl Sydow and Greg Ripley-Duggan for Hampstead Theatre, in association with Raymond Gubbay and Bob Bartner.