English Touring Opera’s autumn season, featuring a mythological theme centered on stories of women left behind, opened at Hackney Empire in London with a tightly paired double bill comprising Elena Langer’s Ariadne and Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. The program is part of a broader season that also includes Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice.

Langer’s Ariadne, a brief monologue setting Glyn Maxwell’s 2008 poem Ariadne to Theseus, is performed here by soprano Jessica Cale. Under Anna Morrissey’s direction, the production expands the solo piece into a six-person stage tableau, emphasizing the active and passive aspects of abandonment. The narrative opens with Theseus disentangling himself from a sleeping Ariadne and the symbolic red thread that binds them, reflecting his recent escape from the labyrinth. As Ariadne awakens, Theseus remains nearby, sometimes in shadow or shadowing her movements on a rotating bed. The instrumental accompaniment—oboe, violin, viola, and cello—performed without a conductor, creates a delicate texture evoking light reflecting on water, complemented by subtle lighting from Joseph Hornsby. The production’s finale features Ariadne stitching the red thread through her own skin, a striking visual though one that demands intense focus from the soprano.

The second half presents Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in a contrastingly playful and stylized staging by Rebecca Meltzer. The production situates the drama in a schoolyard-like environment, where the cast, except for Dido, wear charcoal blazers and pleated skirts. Lydia Shariff’s Sorceress exudes the charisma of a middle-school “queen bee,” while Isabelle Atkinson’s Belinda becomes menacing with small sunglasses as she transforms into one of the witches. The chorus, along with Michael Lafferty’s softly spoken Aeneas, appear complicit in gaslighting and pressuring Dido toward her tragic end. Alex Robinson conducts the orchestra from the harpsichord, offering creative touches though maintaining mostly steady tempos.

Samantha Price delivers an expressive performance as Dido, supported by Meltzer’s emphasis on dynamic movement. However, the production has drawn criticism for underplaying Dido’s regal authority and the grandeur of her realm’s fall. By framing Dido primarily as a victim, the portrayal lessens the operatic impact of a queen undone by the entanglements of mortal passions and divine will—central themes of the original myth.

The double bill is scheduled to continue its tour at Buxton Opera House on October 24, before visiting other venues.