Modern take on Mozart favourite to be performed in Skipton

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is being reimagined as a Yorkshire-Bollywood comedy set in 1970s Bradford.

The fresh take will be performed in Yorkshire dialect and infused with Indian musical influences as part of a new Bradford Opera Festival production.

Written by poet and broadcaster Ian McMillan, the adaptation relocates Mozart’s comic tale to the heart of West Yorkshire and blends Western and Indian classical music to create a story rooted in contemporary Britain.

Ian McMillan 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 story explores themes of class, power and desire, and has been retold with Yorkshire humour and cultural references.

Its final act takes place in an allotment, giving the production a modern and local flavour.

The opera follows the success of the festival’s 2023 adaptation of The Barber of Seville, which was described by critics as "an hilarious operatic treat."

This year’s production will run from November 17 to 25 in Bradford, Leeds and Skipton before heading to London’s Wilton’s Music Hall.

Bradford Opera Festival Artistic Director Alex Chisholm, who also directed The Barber of Seville, said the opera’s cast reflects the city’s diversity, both past and present.

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."

The music remains true to Mozart’s original but has been reorchestrated by composer and conductor Ben Crick to feature both 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."

Singer, poet and lyricist Kauser 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."

The Marriage of Figaro, tour dates (Image: Bradford Opera Festival)

The cast features three South Asian opera singers: Oscar Castellino, Natasha Agarwal, and Kanchana Jaishakar.

Their involvement is part of a wider effort to make opera more inclusive and representative of today’s audiences.

Tickets are now on sale.