The Telephone, or L'Amour à trois, is an opera in a single act, written for two singers and chamber orchestra. Menotti's 1947 work brings together piquant humour with sly nods to the classics of grand opera and was a highlight of the 2020 International Festival.
Multi-award-winning soprano Soraya Mafi and celebrated baritone Jonathan McGovern make their Edinburgh International Festival debuts as Lucy and Ben – the hapless couple whose love affair is repeatedly thwarted by a telephone. Pioneering young director Daisy Evans relocates Menotti’s mismatched lovers into today’s Edinburgh, as the story unfolds in and around the King’s Theatre. The opera becomes a witty commentary on our obsession with our mobile phones, reminding us to be present in the moments that matter.
Audiences are given the rare opportunity to hear this charming work which was last performed at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1984. The Orchestra of Scottish Opera, conducted by Music Director Stuart Stratford, provide superb support.