The Secret of the Black Spider – Leeds Grand Theatre

Opera North opened its 2025–26 season with something quietly radical: the UK premiere of the extended Hamburg version of Dame Judith Weir’s The Secret of the Black Spider, performed not by the mainstage company but by the Opera North Youth Company—soloists, chorus, and orchestra. It was the first time an opera by a female composer had featured on the company’s main stage, and the first time its young performers had opened the season both on stage and in the pit. With the composer in attendance and a warm response from a mixed-age audience, it was a landmark evening in every sense.

The opera weaves together a 19th-century gothic novella with the real-life story of a supposed curse that followed the 1980s opening of a royal tomb in Wawel Cathedral, Kraków. Weir’s score and libretto blend these threads into a time-hopping narrative that oscillates between a 15th-century village and a modern archaeological dig, as past horrors begin to echo through the present. The tonal balance—macabre, mysterious, and often darkly comic—is hard to sustain, but the young cast managed it with real skill.

This was no showcase-style concert but a fully staged, dramatically assured, musically confident production directed by former director of Leeds Youth Opera Rosie Kat. Conductor Nicholas Shaw (chorus master of the youth company) led the Opera North Youth Orchestra with clarity and warmth. Opera pit-work is never easy, and maintaining ensemble across stage and orchestra can be especially challenging, but the playing was focused, responsive, and well-drilled. Inevitably there were moments of pressure, but the performance remained cohesive and alive throughout.

Professional singers Ross Ramgobin and Pasquale Orchard joined the cast, not as parachuted leads but as integrated collaborators. Ramgobin, making his Opera North debut as Count Heinrich, offered a performance both humorous and heartfelt, with strong stage presence and vocal command. One hopes it won’t be his last appearance here. Orchard’s Christina was a delight—vocally expressive, elastic in facial expression, and effortlessly engaging. She hammed up the melodrama with glee but always under control. Both worked in close rapport with the younger cast, enhancing rather than overpowering them.

Standout moments were plentiful, but none more than the hilariously choreographed banqueting song, complete with synchronised hiccupping, which drew genuine laughter from the audience. And a perfectly delivered line—“And if there’s one thing I detest, it’s singing”—landed with delicious irony, given the sheer joy radiating from the stage. These moments of comedy punctuated a work unafraid of death, decay, and dread, and the young performers met its emotional complexity with impressive poise.

This wasn’t just a bold season opener—it was a vivid reminder of opera’s relevance. With young people in the pit, on stage, and in the audience, this production looked confidently to the future. Opera North proved that opera can belong to the next generation—and be all the more vital for it.

Reviewer: Mark Humphreys
Reviewed: 26th September 2025
North West End UK Rating: