No longer booking
  • Venue Royal Opera House, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 13 December 2024
  • Running time 3 hours (including 2 intervals)
  • Age guidelines 12+

Experience one of the world’s most beloved operas as Puccini’s thriller of romance and revolution returns to the stunning surroundings of the Royal Opera House.

Jonathan Kent’s classic staging conjures all the beauty and bloodshed of 19th-century Rome, while the emotive music of Tosca’s score transports us inside the conflicted souls of its characters.

Tosca runs from 26 November 2024 to 13 December 2024 at the Royal Opera House London.

Set in Rome, 1800, this gripping opera tells the story of Floria Tosca – a tempestuous opera singer who is used to being in the spotlight. But the on-stage drama turns into real life tragedy when she discovers her lover Cavaradossi has been captured by Baron Scarpia. There is only one way to save him – Tosca must give herself to Scarpia or Cavaradossi will be killed.

ACT I
Cesare Angelotti, a Consul of the former Roman Republic, has escaped prison and seeks refuge in the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle. The painter Mario Cavaradossi, a Republican sympathizer working in the church, promises to help him. Angelotti hides as Cavaradossi’s lover Floria Tosca arrives. The lovers’ meeting reveals Tosca’s passionate love and jealousy. When Tosca has gone, Cavaradossi instructs Angelotti to dress in the disguise left for him, and hide at Cavaradossi’s villa. Baron Scarpia arrives at the church. He suspects Cavaradossi of hiding Angelotti. When Tosca returns, Scarpia uses a fan left by Angelotti to make her believe that Cavaradossi is having an affair. Tosca leaves for Cavaradossi’s villa, and Scarpia instructs his assistant Spoletta to follow her and track down Angelotti.

ACT II
Scarpia has arrested Cavaradossi. He summons Tosca to his apartment, and forces her to listen as Cavaradossi is tortured in the next room. Tosca reveals Angelotti’s hiding place. Scarpia condemns Cavaradossi to death but tells Tosca that he will free her lover if she will offer herself to him. In agony, Tosca agrees and Scarpia tells her he will arrange a mock execution. As Scarpia embraces Tosca, she fatally stabs him.

ACT III
As dawn approaches, Cavaradossi waits for his execution at the top of the Castel Sant’Angelo. Tosca arrives and tells him what she has done. She instructs him on how to pretend to die in the mock execution. When the soldiers shoot, Tosca is impressed with her lover’s acting. But Scarpia has double-crossed her and Cavaradossi really is dead. As Spoletta’s men arrive to arrest her for Scarpia’s murder, she leaps from the battlements to her death

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Stars and Creatives

Who are the creative team of Tosca - The Royal Opera?

Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica

Directed by Jonathan Kent; revival director Lucy Bradley
Design by Paul Brown, lighting by Mark Henderson

Important Notes

Language: Sung in Italian with English surtitles

This production contains depictions of violence, sexual assault and implied torture. There are gunshots in Act III.

Venue Information

Royal Opera House , Bow Street, London, WC2E 9DD

Nearest Tube or Train: Covent Garden (Piccadilly line), Leicester Square (Piccadilly line, Northern line)

Nearest Buses: 1, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 23, 26, 68, 76, 77a, 91, 168, 171, 176, 188, 501(southbound only), 505, 521, X68 all go to the Aldwych.

Directions

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Frequently Asked Questions

Tosca - The Royal Opera is playing at the Royal Opera House in London
The running time of Tosca - The Royal Opera is 3 hours (including 2 intervals)
The age recommendations for Tosca - The Royal Opera are: 12+
Yes, Tosca - The Royal Opera has matinee performances on the following days:
No, sorry, Tosca - The Royal Opera has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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