Thu 7 – Sat 9 May 2026
English Touring Opera return to The Arts Theatre Cambridge with two titles for their Spring 2026 season: Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers – “the very definition of musical entertainment” (★★★★★, The Stage) – and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci (★★★★, The Times).
The Gondoliers, Gilbert and Sullivan’s last great success, is a fizzing comedy of mistaken identity that marries joy and chaos with a sharp satire of monarchy and class. Two handsome and charming gondoliers discover that one is the long-lost heir to the throne of Barataria – but which one?
Art imitates life in English Touring Opera’s new production of Pagliacci. Ripped from the headlines about a real-life crime case from composer Ruggero Leoncavallo’s own childhood, Pagliacci packs passion, melodrama and revenge into an intense 90 minutes of drama. When Canio, leader of a theatre troupe, sees his life reflected in rehearsals for an
upcoming opera, he becomes convinced that his wife is having an affair. Can Canio temperhis spiralling emotions, or will his jealousy get the better of him?
Photo credit Richard Hubert Smith
The Gondoliers is helmed by Liam Steel, who directed ETO’s Olivier Award-winning production of Paul Bunyan, and Eleanor Burker (founder of pioneering sustainable opera company, Green Opera) makes her directorial with ETO for Pagliacci, alongside ETO Music
Director Gerry Cornelius.
Photo credit Richard Hubert Smith
Since 1979, English Touring Opera has toured outstanding live productions and impactful education and community projects to more towns and cities than any other UK opera company. At the heart of their ethos is making exceptional artistic experiences available and accessible to everyone, and their Spring 2026 season is “a masterpiece and testament
to the importance of ETO’s presence across the UK” (★★★★★, Opera Now).
