Angel's Bone - English National Opera

Angel’s Bone, the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by Chinese-American composer Du Yun and librettist Royce Vavrek, comes to the UK in a bold new ENO production that confronts themes of exploitation, modern slavery, and human trafficking. The story follows Mr and Mrs X.E., a struggling couple whose failing marriage and financial hardship take a sinister turn when they discover two injured angels in their garden. What begins as an act of compassion soon becomes exploitation, as the couple imprison and abuse the celestial beings in pursuit of wealth and status. Through this disturbing allegory, the opera examines how desperation, greed, and indifference can strip others of their humanity, asking audiences to reflect on society’s complicity in systems of abuse.

Breaking away from traditional opera, Angel’s Bone combines chamber music, cabaret, punk, electronica, spoken word, and immersive theatre to create a raw and unsettling experience. Director Kip Williams uses projections and shifting perspectives to draw audiences directly into the story, challenging them to confront their own relationship to exploitation and voyeurism. The production features conductor Baldur Brönnimann and a cast including Allison Cook, Rodney Earl Clarke, Mariam Wallentin, Matthew McKinney, and Keith Pun. Presented in collaboration with Factory International and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, this powerful and experimental work offers a provocative reimagining of opera for the modern age.