The renowned company Opera della Luna presents Nightmare Songs, a brand new, witty and fresh piece of musical theatre. The two man show will be performed at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts on Wednesday 5 March at 7.30pm.

When the D'Oyly Carte Opera was at its zenith, it ran two companies which both toured the country for 48 weeks a year, performing all the hits of the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire. Each company had its comedy baritone lead that performed all ten of the "patter roles", and each patter man had an understudy - who also had to keep all ten roles, and their wordy patter songs, in his head.

On a rainy night in a town in the North of England, the understudy of a principal patter man in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is given a day’s notice that he is ‘on’. A sleepless night ensues and in the dingy bedroom of his theatrical digs he tries to rehearse his role- helped, but more often hindered, by one of the other residents of the house, an itinerant variety performer. As the night progresses their discussions take on a more disturbing tone as the understudy’s rehearsal begins to turn into a nightmare.

Nightmare Songs contains many of the patter songs by Gilbert and Sullivan as well as a new score of challenging complexity and humour. Simon Butteriss, one of the country’s leading exponents of the patter roles is joined by Jeff Clarke, artistic director of the renowned Opera della Luna company, as his musical adversary in this new music-theatre piece.

“Opera della Luna is a revelation. Witty, innovative and fresh.” Evening Standard

Since its inception in 1994 Opera della Luna has established itself as a highly original ensemble of extremely versatile singers and comedians. Led by artistic director Jeff Clarke, it takes its name from Haydn’s operatic setting of Goldoni’s farce Il Mondo della Luna. The company’s policy is to create new and innovative productions of musical theatre, comic opera and operetta, in English, and to tour them to venues all over the UK. The company has won considerable acclaim for its highly entertaining and inventive performing style.

Tickets are priced at £12 (£10 concessions) £24 including two course dinner in Norden’s restaurant and are available from the Box Office on 01628 788997 or visit Soul Kinda Wonderful.