Tosca at a glance

Show
Tosca (English National Opera)
Venue
London Coliseum, West End
Address
St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4ES
Nearest station
Leicester Square; Charing Cross also close
Genre
Opera
Running time
About 2 hours 15 minutes, including one interval
Age guidance
15+; no under-5s; depictions of violence, murder, suicide and torture
Dates
30 October – 11 December 2026
Language
Sung in English with surtitles
Price range
From £25.50 (typically £25.50–£212)
Composer
Giacomo Puccini
Director
Annilese Miskimmon
Conductor
Ben Glassberg

Expert Review: Tosca at the London Coliseum

4.4
★★★★☆

LTH Anticipation Rating

Pre-opening preview by the London Theatre Hub editorial team. Last updated: 23 September 2026.

The Verdict

Tosca is the opera for people who think they don't like opera: a political thriller with a heroine, a villain and a lover, played out over a single day and night, with no filler and some of the most famous music Puccini wrote. It moves like a stage melodrama, and at around two and a quarter hours it is shorter than many plays in the West End.

ENO's new version, directed by its artistic director Annilese Miskimmon, swaps Napoleonic Rome for a concert hall in an unnamed European country gripped by civil conflict, which turns the title character, a star singer, into an artist caught inside a state in crisis. Axelle Fanyo, a Grammy winner, makes her ENO debut in the role, with Chaz'men Williams-Ali as Cavaradossi and Christopher Purves, then Craig Colclough, as Scarpia. The 4.4 above is our pre-opening anticipation rating, not a review; we will update it once the production has opened on 30 October.

What Makes It Special

  • A brand-new staging. Not a revival: a fresh ENO production built around a contemporary setting.
  • Sung in English. Every word is sung in English, with surtitles as a backup, so newcomers can follow the drama without a synopsis in hand.
  • A Grammy-winning debut. Axelle Fanyo takes on one of the great soprano roles in her first ENO appearance.
  • Unbeatable for younger audiences. ENO offers free tickets for under-21s and reduced prices for under-35s when booked directly.
  • One half of a pair. ENO links it with Kaija Saariaho's Adriana Mater later in the season, two operas about art, war and survival.

You'll love Tosca if you...

  • Want a first opera that moves like a thriller
  • Love big, emotional music you may already half-know
  • Enjoy classics reimagined in a modern setting
  • Prefer to hear opera sung in English
  • Want a grand night out in one of London's largest theatres

It might not be for you if you...

  • Want a traditional period staging set in 1800s Rome
  • Prefer opera in the original Italian
  • Are bringing anyone under 15 — the content is violent
  • Find scenes of torture and suicide distressing

Best for

  • Opera newcomers
  • Puccini lovers
  • Under-35s
  • Date night
  • Modern stagings
  • Big voices

Not suitable for under-15s; purists wanting Italian and a period setting may prefer a traditional production.

Critical Reception

This is a new production that opens on 30 October 2026, so no reviews have been published yet. We will add verified critic ratings once they are out.

  • Production New ENO staging
  • Opens 30 October 2026
  • Reviews To follow

Source: English National Opera announcements, 2026. Ratings to follow after opening.

Everything You Need to Know

What happens in Tosca?

Floria Tosca is a celebrated singer. Her lover, the painter Mario Cavaradossi, secretly helps Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner, to hide. That act of kindness draws the attention of Baron Scarpia, the feared head of the police, who has long wanted Tosca for himself.

Act One: the trap is set

Scarpia plays on Tosca's jealousy to lead him to the fugitive, and to Cavaradossi. The act ends with one of opera's great set pieces, as Scarpia reveals his intentions over a grand religious ceremony.

Act Two: the bargain

Cavaradossi is arrested and interrogated. Scarpia offers Tosca a deal: her lover's life in exchange for herself. Trapped, Tosca pours out her anguish in the aria Vissi d'arte, "I lived for art", before the act reaches its shocking climax.

Act Three: dawn

As morning breaks, Cavaradossi waits for his execution and sings E lucevan le stelle. Tosca brings news she believes will save them both. We won't spoil what follows, but Tosca's ending is one of the most famous in opera.