The Queen of Spades plays a hand full of talent at Warwick Arts Centre

Think of a tragic tale of doomed lovers, replete with moonlit encounters and suicidal heartbreak, and it’s likely that Verona’s rival families would come to mind rather than Saint Petersburg aristocrats. Yet The Queen of Spades, Tchaikovsky’s often overlooked masterpiece, has returned to an English stage for the first time in years, courtesy of Opera Warwick and Warwick Tech Crew. Originally premiering in 1890, the opera has been reworked and reinvented for 2025.

Director Daisy McLaughlin outlines the show’s ambition: “to encourage people to look at opera in a new light”

The Queen of Spades follows a soldier’s descent into obsession and madness, whose compulsive search for a secret combination of winning cards ends in tragedy. Celebrated for its vibrant characters and music, the opera has been given new life for a 21st century audience – this version has a female lead, Hilda, and is embellished with additional material from Tchaikovsky’s other works, such as a waltz from Eugene Onegin. Set in 1920s London rather than Tsarist Russia, the show is notable for its portrayal of a same-sex love affair and its use of gender-blind casting. These departures from the original make The Queen of Spades an entirely unique and captivating experience.

In the programme, director Daisy McLaughlin outlines the show’s ambition: “to encourage people to look at opera in a new light”. This was certainly achieved; despite being a student-run venture, The Queen of Spades was delivered with the polished ease of a professional production. The cast pulled no punches, with standout performances from Daisy Caygill (Hilda) and Lizzie Zmuda (Lisa). The couple’s love affair was passionate and convincing, with Prince Yeletsky cutting a sorrowful figure on the margins, his vulnerability expressed poignantly by Edwin Tang. The Countess, Tomsky, and Pauline were also particularly impressive, played by Millie Jeffries, Pearl McCann, and Rowan Grosvenor respectively.

The end product is remarkable, particularly given that Matusz was not alone in having previously never heard of the opera

The atmosphere was consistently gripping, helped by immersive lighting and staging. Throughout the show, the costumes and set design were authentic and accompanied by effective choreography, which was best shown off during the masquerade. Some moments were especially memorable: the tension was palpable when the foreboding shadow of the Countess loomed behind Hilda as she fanatically repeated the secret card combination. At the end of the opera, too, Lisa joined the victorious Countess as a silent witness to Hilda’s death – these are just two examples of narrative and stagecraft converging with fantastic results. The show isn’t all doom and gloom, however – lighter moments, like “The Faithful Shepherdess” interlude, also balance out the predominantly dark themes of the opera.

As musical director and conductor Michał Matusz told The Boar after Saturday’s show, the process wasn’t always straightforward – the team had to deal with scheduling conflicts and missing musicians, as well as a struggle to find string parts for the orchestra. Matusz said, “There was no-one in the country who we knew who was able to lend us string parts. We called people across Europe and there was nothing.” That’s not all – with the orchestra facing a shortage of trumpet players, lead French horn player Thomas Rocke was given the trumpet parts instead. “I gave him photographs of the trumpet parts at 2:30 in the morning, marked out with all of the important solos,” Matusz recalled. In the end, the orchestra had to rent parts, while musicians multitasked to avoid compromising on the quality of the score.

The end product is remarkable, particularly given that Matusz was not alone in having previously never heard of the opera. Tivona D’Souza Murphy, orchestra manager and principal double bassist, suggested that this may in fact have been a blessing in disguise: “I think not having familiarity was a good thing. Since it’s not been done a lot to begin with, and there isn’t much online, I guess it was sort of open to interpretation.” That has certainly paid off, if the radical re-envisioning of the opera is anything to go by, including the decision to adapt the source material to the introduction of Hilda (rather than Herman in the original) after the auditions.

The Queen of Spades has been a long time in the making, and its completion is testament to the commitment and talent of all those involved

Both the orchestra, cast, and production team had varying degrees of experience, with many of those involved being first-timers. Millie Jeffries, a self-described “complete beginner”, revealed that she had “never sung solo for an opera before” and had originally only applied for a “really, really small role”. Nonetheless, and despite being the youngest in the cast, she landed a leading role. “I’m so chuffed to get the role of the Countess. She’s just so much fun, she’s so full of herself,” she said. Similarly, D’Souza Murphy had never played in an opera before – not that you’d guess any of this from the excellent show.

The Queen of Spades has been a long time in the making, and its completion is testament to the commitment and talent of all those involved. After many months of work, Opera Warwick and Warwick Tech Crew have produced a refreshing take on a classic opera, blending tragedy, romance, and contemporary social commentary to make Tchaikovsky’s work accessible and enjoyable to a new audience.

Anyone interested in seeing more from Opera Warwick can look forward to HMS Pinafore in Term 3, Week 9.