Originally composed in the 1940s and later arranged by English composer Benjamin Britten, Lyric’s Mamelles will be re-imagined in the ‘greed is good’ era of the early 1980s – glam fashion included – asking what happens when one housewife put on the pants to leave childbirth to their husbands. Poulenc’s music for Mamelles is a cocktail of opera, cabaret and burlesque, with the unusual accompaniment of two pianos. It will be sung in English under the music direction of Simon Bruckard, who describes the music as ‘just so much fun to play, to sing and of course, to listen to’.

The cast is led by rising star Kate Macfarlane as Therese with Sun Aria finalist Raphael Wong as her embattled but prodigiously fertile husband. The ensemble features several exciting young singers making their company debut as part of Lyric’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of opera stars