Angel's Bone ‘a defining moment’ for ENO – but you have to stand to see it

English National Opera has announced casting for its production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Angel’s Bone, which will have its UK premiere at Aviva Studios in Manchester on May 12, with further performances on May 14&15 (all at 7.45pm), with a 2pm matinee on the 16th.

Described by ENO artistic director Annilese Miskimmon as “a defining moment” for the company, and announced as “sitting at the heart of ENO’s dual-centre model” (of developing work in both Manchester and London), it will also be the first case of Manchester-first in the relationship. The show won't be seen at the London Coliseum until October, but in Manchester it seems sitting isn't at the heart of it - at least as far as the audience is concerned. The one downside to seeing it live in Manchester is that the audience will stand for the whole show (though accessible seating and viewing areas for visitors with mobility impairments are available). In London the audience will be seated.

The opera, by Du Yun, with a libretto by Royce Vavrek, won its Pulitzer Prize for music in 2017, after its world premiere in New York, and is said to be one of the most significant operatic works of the past decade.

Alison Cook. Pic: Beatriz Moreno

The cast includes mezzo-soprano Allison Cook as Mrs XE; Alison made a remarkable double appearance at the Buxton International Festival in 2025, as both Gertrude in Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet and Elle in Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine, displaying outstanding dramatic gifts in both roles. She is what opera buffs call a “soprano falcon”, with a range from very high to very low and the ability to swoop from one to the other with ease. She also sung with ENO as Judith in Duke Bluebeard’s Castle in 2024, to great acclaim. 

Performing as her husband, Mr XE, is British baritone Rodney Earl Clarke, whose musical repertoire spans opera and musical theatre. The role of Girl Angel is performed by Swedish musician and voice actress Mariam Wallentin, best known as half of the duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums and for experimental opera. Scottish tenor Matthew McKinney, a 2025 Jerwood Young Artist with Glyndebourne, performs Boy Angel, and Hong Kong countertenor Keith Pun is Male Soprano.

Pictures (l-r): Kip Williams, Mariam Wallentin (pic Martin Wallin), Matthew McKinney (pic Pablo Strong), and Rodney Earl Clarke

Angel’s Bone tells the story of Mr and Mrs XE, a couple longing for a better life, who discover two wounded angels in their garden, and what begins as an act of apparent compassion spirals into a disturbing portrait of greed and exploitation, as an unflinching take on human trafficking and modern-day slavery.

Theatre and opera director Kip Williams is making his UK opera debut, with design by Marg Horwell. The show is suitable for those aged 18 and over.

The Manchester-based BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and vocal ensemble Kantos Chamber Choir are taking part, and the conductor is to be Baldur Bronniman, a distinguished alumnus of Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music. Factory International trainees will be offered paid placements on Angel’s Bone, with a particular focus on technical and backstage roles.

:: BBC Radio 3 will record the Aviva Studios performance for broadcast on Opera on 3 on June 6 (after which it will be available for a further 30 days on BBC Sounds) .

More info and tickets here