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Lalla-Roukh nominated for Irish Times Theatre Awards 2022

Irish theatre awards 2022
Wexford Festival Opera’s stunning production of Lalla-Roukh receives four nominations in The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2022.

Wexford Festival Opera’s stunning production of Lalla-Roukh receives four nominations in The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2022.

One of the most talked about productions of Wexford Festival Opera 2022 was the extraordinary Lalla-Roukh which gained huge critical and audience acclaim.

Composed by Félicien David, with a libretto by Michael Carré and Hippolyte Lucas. The dialogue was replaced in this newly commissioned adaptation by Timothy Knapman.

First performed at the Opéra-Comique on 12 May 1862 Lalla-Roukh was conducted by Steven White and staged by the Irish director Orpha Phelan. Set & costume design was by Madeleine Boyd with lighting design by D.M. Wood and choreography by Amy Share-Kissiov.

It was announced this weekend that the production has received four nominations in The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards.

They are for:

Best Opera

Best Director: Orpha Phelan, (in a joint nomination for Lalla-Roukh (Wexford Festival Opera) and Don Pasquale with Katie O’Halloran (Irish National Opera))

Best Costume: Madeleine Boyd

Best supporting actor: Lorcan Cranitch

As the Irish Times reported, this is only the second time in the history of the awards, that a nomination for the best actor has been drawn from the cast of an opera.

Readers can also have their say by voting for their favourite piece at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards Audience Choice.

The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards will be presented Sunday 26th March.

The cast of Lalla-Roukh were:

  • Lalla-Roukh: Gabriella Philiponet
  • Nourreddin: Pablo Bemsch
  • Narrator: Lorcan Cranitch
  • Baskir: Ben McAteer
  • Bakbara: Emyr Wyn Jones
  • Kaboul: Thomas D Hopkinson
  • Mirza: Niamh O’Sullivan

About the production:

The Indian princess Lalla Roukh has been promised in marriage to the King of Bukhara and departs there in a caravan with her confidants. But on her way to meet her future husband at his summer palace, she becomes captivated by the mysterious singing of a minstrel Nourreddin, so much so that she falls in love with him and resolves not to marry the king.

The new couple meets at night and Lalla Roukh declares that she will rather live in a simple cottage in Kashmir with Nourreddin and promises to confess all this to the king when they arrive at their destination. Unbeknown to her, and wanting to test his bride, the king had disguised himself as the minstrel and intercepted the caravan. All is revealed upon arrival, and they live happily ever after …

Performance dates:

This production, kindly sponsored by Danone and generously supported by Michael Maude, featured the Wexford Festival Opera Orchestra and Wexford Festival Opera Chorus and was performed at the O’Reilly Theatre, National Opera House Wexford on 22, 25, 30 October and 4 November 2022.