Birr native to perform in home town with Irish National Opera production

Birr native John Molloy is among the cast of an Irish National Opera production which will be performed at Birr Theatre and Arts Centre next month.

Irish National Opera is undertaking a national tour of Smetana’s comic folk opera 'The Bartered Bride'. Eleven singers and five musicians are part of the production, which will be coming to Birr on Saturday, November 29, at 8pm.

Set in a busy Czech village bound by tradition and tangled in secrets, 'The Bartered Bride' is a fast-paced comic opera where two young lovers attempt to rewrite the rules. To be together, they need to outwit a meddling matchmaker, sidestep an unwanted marriage contract and survive the arrival of a travelling circus.

At the heart of the story is Irish soprano Amy Ní Fhearraigh as Mařenka, a spirited young woman determined to marry for love but promised to a wealthy landowner’s son. Russian-Ukrainian tenor Egor Zhuravskii sings her devoted, but not entirely honest lover, Jeník.

Birr native John Molloy plays the role of Kecal, the cunning and hilarious marriage broker.

Irish National Opera said its energetic production brings a fresh musical perspective, with conductor Richard Peirson leading his own dynamic new arrangement of Smetana's score.

Director Louisa Muller makes her Irish National Opera debut on The Bartered Bride, with set and lighting design by Ciaran Bagnall, costume design by Joan O’Cleary and choreography by Rebecca Howell.

'The Bartered Bride' is sung in English with English surtitles.

Tickets for the performance in Birr, priced €30 (+ €3 in fees) can be booked on the Birr Theatre and Arts Centre website here.