RUFUS WAINWRIGHT is to bring his opera Prima Donna to London, the Sadler’s Wells theatre in Islington to be exact, in April 2010.
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Originally planned to showcase at the Met in New York, Wainwright’s work eventually got its chance at this year’s Manchester International Festival and is set to head for Toronto’s Luminato Festival a couple of months after the Sadler’s Wells outing.
“We are delighted to announce the London premiere of Rufus’ debut opera, Prima Donna, at Sadler’s Wells on April 12, 14, 16 and 17,” ran Wainwright’s management company announcement.
The plot of Prima Donna concerns an ageing opera star about to make a comeback in 1970s Paris, who falls for a journalist.
“Writing words [was] much harder than writing music,” said Wainwright, whose decision to write Prima Donna in French was the reason given by the Met for backing out.
Wainwright has long held an interest in opera and has often used operatic styles for his music, though Prima Donna is his first foray into opera proper. He has previously written music for ballet.
