Barefoot Opera is creating a bold, emotionally charged production of Donizetti’s romantic tragedy – Lucia di Lammermoor, staged with the company’s inventive, collaborative spirit, for a 14-night tour from September 2025. The score will be reimagined for the Barefoot Band, who bring together classical music and gypsy jazz instrumentation, and several of the cast will be multi-tasking, seamlessly moving between playing an instrument and singing on stage.
For those new to opera, Lucia di Lammermoor offers a powerful introduction – an intense, emotionally charged work fusing Gothic romanticism with psychological unravelling. Composed by Gaetano Donizetti and based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Bride of Lammermoor, the opera tells the tragic story of Lucia, a young woman caught between forbidden love and family obligation. Her secret romance, forced betrothal, and eventual descent into madness unfold against a backdrop of hauntingly beautiful music.
At the heart of the opera is Lucia’s iconic “mad scene” – a virtuosic display of vocal brilliance and dramatic depth. In this moment of psychological collapse, a soprano stands alone onstage, covered in blood, spinning out ethereal, impossibly high notes that seem to float from another realm. It is one of opera’s most unforgettable scenes, where grief, betrayal, and fragile sanity are laid bare through music that is both otherworldly and deeply human.
Whether you’re an opera veteran or a curious newcomer, this Barefoot Opera production invites you to experience Lucia di Lammermoor as you never have before: not as a historic artifact, but as a living, breathing work of art with enormous contemporary relevance. It’s edgy, gripping, and urgently alive.
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Join us for a lively and vibrant evening at The Uplands!
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in style at this special Barefoot Opera fundraiser! Enjoy a range of live performances, creating a festive atmosphere throughout the garden and Music Room. With music, aperitivos, and a glass of wine or beer included in your ticket, it promises to be an unforgettable evening.
Date: Sunday, 18th May
Time: 17:00 – 19:00
Location: The Uplands, Maze Hill, St Leonards-On-Sea, East Sussex, TN38 0HL
Tickets are priced at £22.50 (or £20 for Friends Members) and include a glass of wine or a beer, tasty appetisers, and of course, exceptional live music.
A pay-for bar will also be available, serving a selection of alcoholic and soft drinks.
The Artists
Lucy Ashton, Royal College of Music graduate, is a rich lyric soprano of outstanding sensibility, who will sing Spanish themed arias from Mozart, Rossin and Bizet operas, as well as a ravishing and little performed set of Granados ‘Maja’ songs. She is accompanied by Satoshi Kubo, who is much in demand as a coach and repetiteur (including work for Covent Garden, Wild Arts, and other organisations across the country). Last year’s attendees of this unique Barefoot fundraiser will remember the charm and style of Zoe Ashdown‘s jazz favorites.
