Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / ENTERTAINMENT
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Entertainment Contents:  Arts & Culture

Tuesday, 19 December 2006, 16:36 GMT

Dawn French to make opera debut

Dawn French Comic Dawn French is to appear in a Royal Opera House production of the The Daughter of the Regiment in January.

The star has a non-singing role in the comic opera, which tells the story of a baby adopted by an army regiment.

Vocal duties will be taken on by French soprano Natalie Dessay and the Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez. The opera runs for three weeks from 11 January.

French has previously appeared in West End productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and My Brilliant Divorce.

Earlier this year, she joined Alison Moyet for Smaller, a play about a schoolteacher caring for her disabled mother.

The Daughter of The Regiment, by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti, is rarely staged due to the extremely taxing roles for the tenor and lead soprano.

The tenor is expected to sing nine high Cs in succession.

It was last seen at the Royal Opera House in 1967, when the lead roles were taken by Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti.

French is currently starring in the BBC One comedy Jam and Jerusalem, which she wrote with comedy partner and co-star Jennifer Saunders.



E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Doomed donkey becomes opera star (08 Dec 06 |  Oxfordshire )
White Stripes ballet gets debut (17 Nov 06 |  Entertainment )
French and Saunders reunite on TV (20 Apr 04 |  Entertainment )
French and Moyet in West End play (17 Nov 05 |  Entertainment )
Dawn French takes Potter role (10 Apr 03 |  Entertainment )
Dawn French calls for successors (07 Aug 06 |  Entertainment )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Royal Opera House
BBC Comedy - Dawn French
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Entertainment Contents:  Arts & Culture

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©