It's not every day that some of the most exciting voices in opera come to our shores but thankfully no souls had to be sold for the Irish National Opera's new production of 'Faust'.
And it will be a particular treat for opera fans as leading the exceptional cast is rapidly-rising US tenor Duke Kim, making his Irish and European debut as the titular Faust.
Joining him in his Irish National Opera debut is award-winning US baritone Nicholas Brownlee as the devil himself, Méphistophélès, while Cahir-born soprano Jennifer Davis stars as Marguerite. Davis, who shot to fame at The Royal Opera, London in 2018, returns to the Irish National Opera having brought many audiences to their feet in previous roles as her star continues to rise.
Rounding out the must-see cast are Nick Dunning who plays Faust as an old man, Wicklow-resident Hungarian baritone Gyula Nagy as Marguerite’s brother Valentin, English baritone Mark Nathan as his friend Wagner, and Irish mezzo-sopranos Colette McGahon from Dundalk and Gemma Ní Bhriain from Dublin as Marguerite’s guardian Marthe Schwerlein and her admirer Siébel.
The opera classic tells the story of Faust, an elderly man who, having looked back on his life with regret, makes a deal with the devil Méphistophélès to restore his youth in exchange for his soul. From there, as you can well imagine, things do not run smoothly for Faust, who encounters the unexpected consequences of his deal across the opera's five acts.
The show is directed by acclaimed director Jack Furness, who has won praise for productions of everything from Mozart to Leonard Bernstein, in his Irish National Opera debut, with set and costume designer from Francis O’Connor.
Talking about the show, the Irish National Opera’s artistic director Fergus Sheil could not be more excited about the cast and crew assembled for a show that has been a favourite of audiences for over 160 years.
"Gounod’s Faust, a leading classic from the 19th-century French repertoire, is a moral tale about the struggle between good and evil. Jack Furness and Francis O’Connor have come up with a powerful vision to convey the chasm between forceful male powerbrokers and the unfortunate woman they have in their sights."
No strangers to opera lovers in Ireland, the Irish National Opera is the country’s largest and most enterprising opera company. It champions Irish creativity in its casting, its choice of creative teams and its commitment to the presentation of new operas, of which 'Faust' is no different.
With a world-class cast, creative and musical team, this production of 'Faust' is not to be missed.
