Ey up, Mozart! Ian McMillan gives The Marriage of Figaro a Yorkshire makeover
Radical new production blends Yorkshire poetry, Indian classical music and Mozart's revolutionary spirit
What happens when Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro meets 1970s Britain, Yorkshire poetry and Indian classical music?
Mashallah! It's Mozart – but not as you've heard it before, as audiences are about to find out with November dates in Bradford, Leeds, Skipton and London.
Bradford Opera Festival kicks off the tour bringing the vibe of a ‘70s Bollywood comedy to Mozart's madcap farce, with a very Yorkshire twist, at at Bradford Arts Centre, November 17 and 18, 7.30pm. Get tickets at bdartscentre.co.uk.
It will also play:
Slung Low, Leeds – November 20: www.slunglow.org/shows
Skipton Town Hall – November 21: skiptontownhall.co.uk/whats-on/the-marriage-of-figaro
Wilton's Music Hall, London - November – 23–25: wiltons.org.uk/whats-on/the-marriage-of-figaro
Tickets are now on sale for this bold new reimagining of one of the world's most celebrated operas.
Adapted by acclaimed poet and broadcaster Ian McMillan, this ambitious new production relocates Mozart's comic masterpiece to ‘70s Bradford, transforming a classic tale of class, power and desire into a story that speaks directly to contemporary Britain.
Performed in a distinctive Yorkshire dialect and featuring a richly textured score that blends Western and Indian classical traditions, The Marriage of Figaro offers audiences a fresh perspective on a work whose themes remain as relevant today as when it first challenged social conventions more than 200 years ago.
Yorkshire Post columnist Ian, affectionately known as ‘The Bard Of Barnsley’ said: "Opera was conceived to challenge the artistic and social boundaries of its day. Setting Figaro in Bradford and giving it a Yorkshire voice allows audiences to hear the wit, warmth and humanity of Mozart's characters in a completely fresh and accessible way. Their concerns about love, power and social change remain as alive today as they were in Mozart's time. Onward to world domination for Yorkshire Opera adaptations! The sky’s the limit, tha knows!"
The final act is set in an allotment, infusing the story with Yorkshire humour, local character and contemporary resonance.
The production builds on the success of Bradford Opera Festival's acclaimed 2023 adaptation of The Barber of Seville, which was praised by critics as "an hilarious operatic treat."
Under the baton of the leading Yorkshire composer and conductor Ben Crick, Mozart's music remains, but has been reorchestrated by Crick for an ensemble of Western and Indian Classical musicians.
Ben Crick said: "The Marriage of Figaro began life as a controversial play that challenged class privilege. Mozart turned it into an opera to get past the censors. Opera isn’t conservative, or exclusive. It should be topical. This production reclaims that original spirit, creating a new work that is socially relevant. We're reclaiming the radical spirit at the heart of Figaro and presenting it for a new generation."
The creative team includes singer, poet and lyricist Kauser Mukhtar, whose work celebrates and preserves South Asian cultural heritage within British communities. Mukhtar has translated small sections of the arias into Urdu and Punjabi.
Kauser Mukhtar said: "I am so excited about the fusion of Western and Indian classical music. Translating sections of the opera to Punjabi and Urdu will make it accessible to more of Bradford's diverse communities. Being multilingual offers a richness of expression that is a perfect match for opera."
Three South Asian opera singers, Oscar Castellino, Natasha Agarwal, and Kanchana Jaishakar, play key characters.
The production is directed by Bradford Opera Festival Artistic Director Alex Chisholm, who also directed the company's acclaimed Barber of Seville adaptation.
Alex Chisholm said: "The diverse mix of the cast is authentic to Bradford in the 1970s and today. This production reflects the realities of modern Britain, while remaining true to the spirit of Mozart's original. Britain's cultural identity has always been shaped by the meeting of different traditions, stories and communities. We've created something that feels both rooted in a specific place and relevant to audiences everywhere."
Following performances in Bradford, Leeds and Skipton, the production comes to London's historic Wilton's Music Hall for a limited run from 23–25 November.
2026 Performance Dates
• Bradford Arts Centre – 17 & 18 November bdartscentre.co.uk/whats-on/events/bradford-opera-festival-the-marriage-of-figaro
Slung Low, Leeds – 20 November www.slunglow.org/shows
Skipton Town Hall – 21 November: skiptontownhall.co.uk/whats-on/the-marriage-of-figaro
Wilton's Music Hall, London – 23–25 November wiltons.org.uk/whats-on/the-marriage-of-figaro