A carousel rolls into a fading town. It promises to cure every ailment. The first ride is always free. The Galloping Cure is a visually stunning and emotionally gripping modern-day fairy tale. Our latest opera is new co-production with Opera Ventures Productions, co-presented this summer at Edinburgh International Festival. Here are a few reasons why we think it’ll be the production everyone will be talking about this August:
First Edinburgh, then the world
The Galloping Cure is a cross-genre world premiere – already picked up for performances on three continents following performances in Scotland. Exploring the realities of addiction and unscrupulous medical practices in an entirely new and unique way, director Tom Morris (War Horse) animates this dark fairy tale with music from Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli and a libretto by Royce Vavrek. They were the creative team behind our 2019 production of Breaking the Waves, with lead soprano Sydney Mancasola earning a Herald Angel Award for her portrayal of Bess, with Opera News calling it one of the 'finest American operas of the century.'
Missy Mazzoli's season carries extra weight beyond The Galloping Cure, when this autumn she becomes the first woman to have an opera solely commissioned and premiered by the Metropolitan Opera, with Lincoln in the Bardo.
The story: the first ride is always free
A re-telling of a Kafka short story A Country Doctor by Pulitzer-winning writer Karen Russell, the plot centres around local doctor Theresa Hart, who works tirelessly for her local community. When the charismatic Lucky Mack comes to town, her daughter Noy is captivated. A ride on his carousel – the first one always free – promises miraculous relief from all aches and pains, and soon the whole town is swept up in euphoria. But getting off the ride gets harder with every turn. These characters are brought to life by singers Daniela Mack as Theresa, Justin Austin as Lucky Mack and Gabrielle Turgeon as Noy. Scottish Opera favourite Susan Bullock is the eccentric Ivona, with the lead characters supported by an ensemble who portray the close-knit community – and even talking dogs and sheep – where the story unfolds.
A blend of musical influences
Missy Mazzoli’s music is daring, experimental and all-consuming. Expect a blend of opera, rave and musical theatre melodies, mixed with a fun-house nightmare carnival. She melds operatic orchestrations with the melodies familiar to musical theatre, brought to life by Stuart Stratford, conducting The Orchestra of Scottish Opera. You can hear more from Missy including some of the music in the opera, in our latest podcast episode hosted by Jamie MacDougall:
Immersive and surprising visuals
Missy, Royce, and Tom work with a team of designers to conjure a fading post-industrial town in which the action plays out, but don’t expect this to be a grey, boring setting. Lucky Mack’s carousel horses have lots of surprises in store courtesy of set and props designer Rebecca Ringst, along with costumes by Christina Cunningham. And the lighting design by Lucy Carter and projections by Will Duke will be truly among the action as they incorporate strings of LEDs in a completely unique way.
Explore the dark undercurrent of the opioid crisis on stage
Recently watched Dopesick, or read Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver? The opioid crisis has been movingly depicted on screen and in literature in recent years, with the exposure of big pharma putting profit before pain. In our new promotional film about the development of The Galloping Cure, librettist Royce Vavrek describes the production as bringing a ‘relevant and prevalent’ representation of the recent epidemic to the stage. We hope that you’ll immerse yourself in this relevant story for today.
Missy says: 'Tonally, the work occupies a similar territory as the kind of genre-bending storytelling that has captivated audiences with television series like Widow's Bay, and the films The Substance and Get Out. Imagine The Music Man crossed with Trainspotting, or Into the Woods infused with The Cunning Little Vixen. It is both whimsical and grotesque, a Kafkaesque fable where laughter and terror are never far apart.'
The Galloping Cure is edgy and resonant but the journey is exhilarating, funny and transformative. Book now to secure your seats for a world premiere that aims to challenge us and expect the unexpected.
Performances 9, 11, 12 August 2026
Festival Theatre Edinburgh
The Galloping Cure is a new co-production with Opera Ventures Productions, Scottish Opera, NorrlandsOperan, Canadian Opera Company, San Francisco Opera and State Opera of South Australia, co-presented with the Edinburgh International Festival
Co-commissioned by Opera Ventures Productions, Scottish Opera, NorrlandsOperan, Edinburgh International Festival and San Francisco Opera