Giulio Cesare

Described variously as ‘witty, sexy and tragic’, ‘luxurious and exciting’ and ‘hugely entertaining’ by critics, David McVicar’s Giulio Cesare is one of Glyndebourne’s all-time greats. First seen in 2005, it dazzled audiences with its breathless pace, stylish Bollywood-meets-baroque designs and buoyant mood. This is a production that combines song, dance and spectacle to witty and irrepressibly joyful ends.

Over a decade since its premiere, this Cesare has lost none of its sparkle, and its setting none of its topicality. McVicar plays out Handel’s high-stakes drama of kings and crowns against a backdrop of tea-gowns and sun hats – the trappings of 20th-century English imperialism – unpacking its uneasy alliances, questionable morals and political manipulations along the way.

This is a show that would be as at home on Broadway as in an opera house, an operatic smash-hit that takes no prisoners.