Mozart’s celebrated comic opera The Marriage of Figaro is getting a radical Yorkshire makeover as Bradford Opera Festival brings the work into 1970s Bradford, combining Yorkshire poetry and dialect with Indian classical music and a culturally diverse cast.
The new production, adapted by acclaimed poet and broadcaster Ian McMillan, offers a fresh interpretation of Mozart’s masterpiece, exploring themes of class, power, love and social change through the distinctive cultural landscape of Bradford.
Tickets for the production’s London performances at the historic Wilton’s Music Hall went on sale on June 29. The London run will take place from November 23 to 25, 2026, following performances in Bradford, Leeds and Skipton.
Described by the festival as having the atmosphere of a 1970s Bollywood comedy with a distinctly Yorkshire twist, the production retains Mozart’s music while introducing a new Yorkshire-language adaptation and an orchestral arrangement incorporating both Western and Indian classical musicians.
McMillan said opera was originally created to challenge artistic and social boundaries and that relocating Figaro to Bradford gives audiences an opportunity to encounter Mozart’s characters in a new way.
“Setting Figaro in Bradford and giving it a Yorkshire voice allows audiences to hear the wit, warmth and humanity of Mozart’s characters in a completely fresh and accessible way,” McMillan said. “Their concerns about love, power and social change remain as alive today as they were in Mozart’s time.”
The production takes place in 1970s Bradford, bringing the opera’s story of Figaro and Suzanna, the Count and Countess into a very different social and cultural environment. The final act moves to an allotment, adding another distinctly Yorkshire element to the story.
Mozart Meets Indian Classical Music
Under the direction of Yorkshire composer and conductor Ben Crick, Mozart’s original score has been reorchestrated for an ensemble combining Western and Indian classical instruments.
Crick said the original story itself challenged class privilege and that the production seeks to reconnect with the radical spirit of the work.
“Opera isn’t conservative, or exclusive. It should be topical,” Crick said. “This production reclaims that original spirit, creating a new work that is socially relevant.”
The creative team also includes singer, poet and lyricist Kauser Mukhtar, whose work focuses on South Asian cultural heritage within British communities. Mukhtar has translated sections of the arias into Urdu and Punjabi, adding further linguistic and cultural dimensions to the production.
Mukhtar said the fusion of Western and Indian classical music and the inclusion of Punjabi and Urdu would help make the opera accessible to more of Bradford’s diverse communities.
“Being multilingual offers a richness of expression that is a perfect match for Opera,” Mukhtar said.
Three South Asian opera singers — Oscar Castellino, Natasha Agarwal and Kanchana Jaishakar — take key roles in the production.
A Bradford Story with Contemporary Resonance
Directed by Alex Chisholm, Artistic Director of Bradford Opera Festival, the production follows the company’s acclaimed 2023 adaptation of The Barber of Seville, which was described by The Telegraph as “an hilarious operatic treat” and awarded four stars.
Chisholm said the diverse cast reflects both Bradford in the 1970s and the city today.
“Britain’s cultural identity has always been shaped by the meeting of different traditions, stories and communities,” Chisholm said. “We’ve created something that feels both rooted in a specific place and relevant to audiences everywhere.”
The adaptation tells the story of Figaro and Suzanna as they prepare to marry, while their employer, the Count, pursues Suzanna and neglects his wife, the Countess. The plot follows the characters as they attempt to outwit the Count, with the final act unfolding in a Bradford allotment.
The production aims to retain the comic energy and social themes of Mozart’s original while presenting them through a distinctly northern British lens.
From Bradford to London
The 2026 tour begins at Bradford Arts Centre on November 17 and 18, followed by Slung Low in Leeds on November 20 and Skipton Town Hall on November 21.
The production then travels to London for three performances at Wilton’s Music Hall from November 23–25.
Founded in 2017 by Ben Crick and Alex Chisholm, Bradford Opera Festival develops new interpretations of classic works alongside original productions inspired by Bradford’s people, stories and culture.
For The Marriage of Figaro, the company is bringing together Mozart, Yorkshire poetry, South Asian languages, Indian classical music and the multicultural history of Bradford to create a production that places a centuries-old story within a very different Britain.
The London performances will take place at Wilton’s Music Hall, the Grade II* historic venue in London’s East End and the world’s only surviving Grand Music Hall.
2026 Performance Schedule
- Bradford Arts Centre: November 17–18
- Slung Low, Leeds: November 20
- Skipton Town Hall: November 21
- Wilton’s Music Hall, London: November 23–25
Tickets: Tickets for the London performances went on sale June 29.
