L'incoronazione di Poppea

Word on the street is that Nero’s having an affair with shameless socialite Poppaea - to the vexation of his wife, the Empress Octavia... and Poppaea's husband, Otho. Driven by her inextinguishable ambition, Poppaea - a Roman B-lister - claws her way up to the imperial seat, crushing the sage philosopher Seneca, her hapless husband Otho, and the lovesick noblewoman Drusilla (amongst others!) in her wake. Monteverdi meets modernity in this new production, with a riveting love triangle of Roman drama, Baroque music and a twist of the 21st-century.