Hotels near the Opera North Autumn Tour

Opera North, always worth catching, comes to Nottingham's Theatre Royal. Joining revivals of Puccini's Madama Butterfly (directed by Tim Albery) and Gilbert & Sullivan's Ruddigore (directed by Jo Davies) is a new production of Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades.

John Wilson conducts Ruddigore (G&S' tenth collaboration) with Grant Doyle (both Robin Oakapple and Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd), Amy Feston (Rose Maybud), Richard Burkhard (Sir Despard Murgatoryd) and Heather Shipp (Mad Margaret) (1 & 3 November).

Daniele Rustioni conducts Anne Sophie Duprels in the title role of Madama Buttefly with Noah Stewart as Pinkerton, Peter Savidge as Sharpless and Anna Taylor as Suzuki (2 & 5 November)

Music director Richard Farnes conducts Neil Bartlett's production of The Queen of Spades,. with Jeffrey Lloyd Roberts as desperate Herman, in love with both Orla Boylan's Lisa and gambling, wanting Lisa's grandmother's secret at winning at cards, a peach of a role for Josephine Bartsow. Jonathan Summers plays Tomsky (4 November).