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Peter Grimes

528 May 2026

Peter Grimes

528 May 2026

Peter Grimes

528 May 2026
Main Stage
Opera and music

In a close-knit village, an exiled man turns to the punishing sea.

The tenor Allan Clayton stands with his back to the audience on stage performing the role of Peter Grimes in The Royal Opera’s Peter Grimes. He is wearing yellow fishing overalls and holds one arm upwards and looks up. Above, a performer wearing the same yellow fishing overalls appears to dangle by one foot in the air, their long brown curly hair draping over their face as they are suspended.  

Britten’s brooding opera returns. Deborah Warner’s staging foregrounds the vulnerability and volatility of the shunned Peter Grimes, and the tragic conflict between the individual and group.

Running time
The performance lasts approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes, including two intervals
Guidance
Suitable for ages 12+
Language
Sung in English with surtitles. Captions and translations in English will be displayed on screens above the stage and around the auditorium.
#royaloperahouse
A co-production with

Teatro Real, Madrid, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and Opéra National de Paris 

EXCEPTIONAL PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT FROM

Royal Ballet and Opera Principal Julia Rausing Trust

Season Principal
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GENEROUS PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT FROM

The Britten Production Syndicate and Royal Ballet and Opera Patron

A storm is brewing

The tenor Allan Clayton is performing as Peter Grimes in The Royal Opera’s Peter Grimes. He is barefoot, lying on the stage dressed in dirty yellow fishing overalls, a dark blue plaid shirt and a navy beanie hat, as though he is asleep. Fishing nets are draped over his body like a blanket. Behind him a chorus of performers stands in darkness holding torches.  

Peter Grimes, a fisherman in a small coastal town, is accused of mistreating his apprentice, who has died under mysterious circumstances at sea. Though cleared of legal guilt, he faces the judgment and hostility of the villagers. Determined to prove himself, Peter takes on another young apprentice. But against the harshness of the sea and increasing pressure from the village, his fragile grip on reality begins to crumble. Tragedy strikes again when the second apprentice dies. Consumed by guilt and madness, the alienated Peter returns to the sea.

Background

Allan Clayton, Bryn Terfel and Maria Bengtsson star in Britten’s bleak operatic parable, in which the dark undercurrents of paranoia and mob mentality lead to a turbulent, haunting end. Deborah Warner’s (Billy Budd, Wozzeck) stunning contemporary staging – which had its premiere in 2022, as part of The Royal Opera's Britten Cycle – illuminates the humanity of the shunned Grimes, while Britten’s evocative score pulses with dread and tension as the villagers close in on their troubled outcast. Music Director of The Royal Opera Jakub Hrůša conducts.

 

Benjamin Britten

Britten’s work is often characterised by its emotional richness, technical brilliance and ability to connect human drama with larger natural and social forces. Reoccurring elements – thematic motifs, atmospheric orchestration and psychological insight – infuse his operas with layers of meaning, allowing for deeper exploration into the minds of his protagonists. Though rooted in tonality, Britten frequently employs dissonance to heighten tension and portray psychological complexity. Listen out for Peter Grimes' aria ‘Now the Great Bear and Pleiades’, which uses unconventional harmonic shifts to reflect the fisherman’s alienation and inner turmoil.

Cast and Creatives

Cast
The cast of this production may vary depending on performance date. Go to cast and dates to see these.
See cast and dates
Creatives
Set designer

Michael Levine

Costume designer

Luis F. Carvalho

Lighting designer

Peter Mumford

Choreographer

Kim Brandstrup

Reviews

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Access

There is lift access and step-free routes to over 100 seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony and Amphitheatre. There are 10 steps or fewer to some seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony, Amphitheatre and the Donald Gordon Grand Tier. All seats in the Orchestra stalls are accessed by 9 steps or more. A handheld bell is rung by Front of House staff to signal guests to take their seats before a performance. The bell is loud and can be startling. The bell is rung approximately ten minutes before the show starts and at each interval.  

We have an assistive listening system available to use.

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