Gianni Schicchi tickets now available

The return of the SPO’s summer opera festival is a much-awaited event in the heart of Clapham Old Town. This year, the opera production will be staged in the open air in the natural theatre space of the Lower Churchyard, with additional incidental vocal music to be found around the grounds of the church throughout the evening, alongside the regular community picnic in the church’s front garden.

 Church grounds open at 5.45pm – Opera performance starts at 8.00pm

Ticket prices: £27.50 in advance (until 2pm on the day of the performance)

£30.00 at the door (subject to availability)

Please note that tickets will be sold on a basis of reserved seating to comply with required social distancing.

Gianni Schicchi

Inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, Giacomo Puccini composed Gianni Schicchi as the final part of Il Trittico which was premiered at the MET in 1918. SPO’s contemporary production sees the extended and extravagantly wealthy Donati family feigning grief over the recent death of the patriarch Buoso. It doesn't take long before they reveal that they are really more interested in the contents of his will. Discovering their worst fears of being denied rich pickings, the family’s greed drives them to accept help from a 'common man': local handyman Gianni Schicchi. 

Meanwhile the young Rinuccio is trying to convince his family to let him marry Schicchi's daughter Lauretta, who was the nurse who cared for Buoso until his final breath. In one of the world’s most famous aria's "Oh mio babbino", Lauretta begs her father to help the Donatis, hoping the family will finally accept her. Schicchi comes with up with an extraordinary plan, and his clever cunning fools more than one...

This ‘simple’ tale of duplicity shines a light on subjects such as greed and class differences, but the genius of Puccini turns this into an hour of hilarious musical comedy.