Puccini meets White Lotus in our next Reinvention
Gianni Schicchi (or Where There’s A Will)
Hot on the heels of the final curtain call for OperaCocktail in 2025, OperaUpClose are thrilled to see our next major production, Gianni Schicchi (or Where There’s A Will) begin to come to life.
Inspired by wildly popular modern-day ‘whodunnits’ such as The White Lotus and Knives Out, Gianni Schicchi (Or Where There’s A Will) brings Puccini roaring into the 21st Century in a brilliantly subversive and satirical take on a classic. Featuring some of the most famous music in opera, the sublime original score is reimagined by Vahan Salorian and Hannah Kumari for an ensemble of 10 storyteller-musicians (6 opera singers, accordion, cello, clarinet and violin) in new English words that give a new energy and immediacy to both music and narrative. Opening in Southampton in a co-production with Mayflower Studios, then touring across the country in March 2026, this Gianni Schicchi (or Where There’s A Will) is set to captivate and delight audiences nationwide.
A first play-through at Rambert in London
Friday 12th September, at Rambert Studios on London’s Southbank, saw cast and creatives come together for a first read-through of Vahan Salorian and Hannah Kumari’s new score, marking a significant milestone in the creative development of this work. It was a particular pleasure to also welcome key industry professionals and OperaUpClose supporters to this special preview.
The atmosphere in the room was one of genuine excitement and fascination; feedback was overwhelmingly positive with guests commenting:
“It’s so thrilling, the script is excellent.”
“The script is so fresh and compelling.”
And members of the company adding:
“One of the best days of music-making I’ve had in years.” Aoife Miskelly, Performer.
“It's genuinely very funny and great storytelling.” Vahan Salorion, Composer.
“I was surprised how I could feel the references of this to modern music. I've really enjoyed working on it.” Hannah Kumari, Writer.
"As instrumentalists, we’re often not central to the narrative — but here, we are. We’re co-creators, not just accompanists." Simon Hewitt Jones, Performer.
Cast and collaborators
We were thrilled to welcome a stellar lineup of talent for the read-through, including members of the creative team, composers, and some of the cast for the upcoming production::
PJ Harris – Director
Vahan Salorian – Composer
Hannah Kumari – Writer
Anna Yates - Designer
Rachel Sampley – Lighting and Captions
Dan d'Souza - Schicchi
Felicity Buckland - Zara
Flavio Rodrigues - Lawyer/Ensemble
Jess Martin - Doctor/Ensemble
Simon Hewitt Jones - Witness/Ensemble
Stephanie Yim - Witness/Ensemble
Due to limited availability from some cast members, we were delighted to be joined by the following exceptional artists, stepping in for this workshop event:
Aoife Miskelly - Claudia
Fraser Scott - Simon
Brenton Spiteri - Roddie
Chiara Vinci - Lauretta
The skill, musicianship, humour, heart and open-mindedness that everyone brought to the space gave life and clarity to this work – joyful and important, thank you.
The first step of many for Gianni Schicchi (Or Where There’s A Will)
As we move toward rehearsals and full staging, this first workshop offered invaluable insights and confirmed the powerful potential of this new production. Gianni Schicchi (Or Where There’s A Will) promises to be a bold, witty, and emotionally rich addition to our repertoire – and we can’t wait to share it with audiences across the UK in March 2026. Watch our Gianni Schicchi read-through teaser now to get your first-look at our exciting new production:
Thank you to everyone who joined us at Rambert and to all those that support OperaUpClose in different ways as we continue to make opera intimate in scale, mighty in impact, reaching diverse audiences and challenging expectations. You can see our full tour dates and book tickets with venues as tickets are released on our Gianni Schicchi production page. Be quick, early ticket release venues such as The Minerva in Chichester are already selling fast!
We look forward to bringing the production to a town near you! Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram further updates as the production takes shape (@operaupclose). Further Q&A’s and footage from the read-through, coming soon.
