No longer booking
  • Venue London Coliseum, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 20 February 2026
  • Running time 2 hours 40 minutes (including 1 interval)
  • Age guidelines 15+

Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny – Hedonism, Greed and the Price of Pleasure

Step into a city where anything goes and everything’s for sale in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s hard-hitting operatic satire. New for ENO’s 2025/26 season, this rarely performed work unleashes a riot of jazz, vice, and moral collapse on the stage of the London Coliseum.

Directed by Olivier Award nominee Jamie Manton and starring internationally renowned soprano Danielle de Niese, this bold new production offers a powerful reflection on consumer culture, inequality, and the pursuit of pleasure — at any cost.

What Is Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny?

Three criminals on the run stumble upon a patch of desert and turn it into Mahagonny — a pleasure-filled paradise built on excess and escape. With no laws and no limits, the city thrives as long as you can pay. But when money runs dry and chaos takes over, the dream begins to unravel.

At its centre is Jenny Smith, a woman caught between survival and desire, and Jimmy MacIntyre, a man who dares to question the rules of a lawless world. With razor-sharp lyrics by Brecht and a hauntingly melodic score from Weill, Mahagonny is as relevant today as it was at its 1930 premiere.

Why Book Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny Tickets at ENO?

  • A rarely staged masterpiece from Brecht and Weill
  • Features the iconic “Alabama Song,” made famous by The Doors and David Bowie
  • Sung in English with surtitles – perfect for newcomers
  • Directed by Olivier-nominated Jamie Manton
  • Starring Danielle de Niese and a powerhouse ENO cast
  • Limited run – only five performances at the London Coliseum

Book The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny Tickets Now

Darkly comic, disturbingly relevant and musically unforgettable – Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny takes no prisoners in its scathing critique of a world ruled by money and desire. With a stellar cast and bold direction, ENO’s new production is set to be one of the most talked-about operas of the 2025/26 season.

Book your Mahagonny tickets today and experience opera at its most daring, disruptive and unforgettable.

Enter the City of Mahagonny, where the pleasure is all yours – if you’re willing to pay for it. Lose yourself in a desert boomtown built on the foundations of greed and moral corruption.

Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny tells the story of three criminals on the run who find Mahagonny, a city of gold. In a place where absolutely anything goes, everything is permitted and the rules are, there are no rules. The question is, who will get out alive?

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Performance Information

Check booking calendar for full details

Stars and Creatives

Who is in the cast of The Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny?

  • Rosie Aldridge – Leokadja Begbick
  • Kenneth Kellogg – Trinity Moses
  • Mark Le Brocq – Fatty the Bookkeeper
  • Richard Trey Smagur – Jimmy MacIntyre
  • Alex Otterburn – Back-Account Billy
  • Elgan Llŷr Thomas – Jack O’Brien
  • David Shipley – Alaska Wolf Joe
  • Danielle de Niese – Jenny Smith
  • Zwakele Tshabalala – Toby Higgins

Who are the creative team of The Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny?

Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny Creative Team 2025/26

  • André de Ridder – Conductor
  • Jamie Manton – Director
  • Milla Clarke – Designer
  • D.M. Wood – Lighting Designer
  • Jeremy Sams – Translator

Venue Information

London Coliseum , St. Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4ES

Nearest Tube or Train: Leicester Square (Northern line, Piccadilly line), Charing Cross (Northern line, Bakerloo line), Embankment (Northern line, Bakerloo line, District line, Circle line)

Nearest Buses: 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, 24, 29, 53, 77a, 88, 91, 139, 159, 176

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Critics' reviews of The Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny

★★★★★ "An anarchic five-star night... exhilarating, as raw and volatile as surely the creators of Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny intended" - The Times (2026)

★★★★ "Sparky and substantial. Danielle de Niese brings star quality" - The Guardian (2026)

★★★★ "An ideal first new production for ENO’s incoming music director, André de Ridder" - The Telegraph (2026)

★★★★ "Harnesses the musical and dramatic power of the work to thrilling effect" - The Standard (2026)

★★★★ "'A rafter-shaking outing at London’s Coliseum" - Financial Times (2026)

Frequently Asked Questions

The Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny is playing at the London Coliseum in London
The running time of The Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny is 2 hours 40 minutes (including 1 interval)
The age recommendations for The Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny are: 15+
Yes, The Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny has matinee performances on the following days:
No, sorry, The Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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