See Empire’s WNO productions for £5!

The Liverpool Empire box office is offering theatregoers the opportunity to see the Welsh National Opera’s new productions of Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata and Giacomo Puccini’s Madam Butterfly for just a fiver.

A new production of Verdi’s classic sees the WNO debut of acclaimed opera director David McVicar and Alfie Boe will also make his debut with WNO as Alfredo, while Myrto Papatanasiu will make both her company and UK debut this season as the tragic Violetta. Dario Solari returns as Giorgo Germont, following his performances as Count di Luna in Il trovatore in Liverpool in 2007. La traviata is conducted by Andrea Licata and is a co-production with Scottish Opera and Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona.

WNO’s production of Madam Butterfly returns with American tenor Russell Thomas as Pinkerton. Amanda Roocroft returns to this production as Cio-Cio-San, a role she won critical acclaim for in 2007, while Claire Bradshaw returns as Suzuki. Simon Phillippo conducts. There will be a matinee performance of Madam Butterfly on Thursday 22 October at 2.30pm but there will be no evening performance on this day.

WNO’s new pricing structure at the Liverpool Empire will see tickets for all these performances, running between 21-24 October, range from £5-£25.

Meanwhile, the critically acclaimed production of Giselle by English National Ballet visits the theatre at the end of the month, with new choreography being presented by Wayne Eagling. A total of 67 internationally acclaimed performers bring dance and music alive in the city from Wednesday 28 October until Sunday 1 November.