A NATIONWIDE tour by the Irish National Opera of The Lighthouse will include a performance in Ennis later this month.
Directed by Edwina Casey and performed by tenor Gavan Ring, baritone Ben McAteer, bass John Molloy, and the Irish National Opera Orchestra, the opera takes its audience on a journey to the Fladda Isles of Scotland, where a lighthouse mysteriously goes dark. When a visiting supply ship visits the island, the crew finds the building in order, but the three keepers vanished. 
Ring, McAteer and Molloy, in multiple roles, explore the psychological state of the fractious men, relive an official investigation, and project a supernatural explanation. The opera’s composer, the late Peter Maxwell Davies, who based the structure of the opera on the Tower of the Tarot, leaves no simple answers. 
First performed in 1980 as part of the Edinburgh Festival, The Lighthouse is inspired by a true story, which unfolded in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland in 1900.  
The opera will be staged in various locations across Ireland including a performance in Ennis’ glór on November 27. Commenting at the launch, Artistic Director at INO, Fergus Sheil said: “We are delighted to return to theatres and audiences around the country with live performances of The Lighthouse, a haunting and very atmospheric opera.  
“The three singers in the cast deliver virtuosic and extreme performances, and the 12-piece orchestra conjures up rich aural soundscapes from storm-raged seascapes to madness-fuelled confrontations.
As the drama unfolds, we get deeper and deeper into the psychosexual, religious and violent urges of the three sparring lighthouse keepers.
Further details and booking information via irishnationalopera.ie.