The Girl from Arles: Bizet’s staged drama on the South Bank

Jeremy Sams directs and supplies the new translation; Sir Mark Elder conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and its choir.

OAE describes 26 musicians and 24 singers participating in the stage drama. Principal roles include Kerill Kelly as Frédéri, Helena Lymbery as Rose, Mercedes Assad as Vivette, Richard Riddell as Mitifio and Finbar Lynch as Balthazar.

Gay Soper plays Mother Renaud and Otto Lenssen the Kid; the venue also lists Simon Slater as Francet.

Consider it if you enjoy a story carried by both spoken theatre and live music, or want something different from an arena concert.

Knowing the concert suites is not necessary: listen for how the score supports the action. For a group, agree that this is a full evening’s main booking.

The published age guidance is an admission guide, not a promise that every child will enjoy the same dramatic material.

Both performances start at 19:00, with a free foyer talk at 18:00.

Southbank Centre lists entry from £22 and an approximate two-and-a-half-hour runtime. It warns that prices may change with demand.

Open the venue’s Dates & tickets section for your date and final total; a listed starting price is not a claim that seats at that price remain available. The talk’s free admission does not replace a performance ticket.

The address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX.

Waterloo is the nearest station; Embankment is another approach across Hungerford Bridge. Save Queen Elizabeth Hall as your destination, rather than automatically entering Royal Festival Hall for the performance.

If attending the talk, plan food before it or leave dinner until afterwards without tying a reservation to a guessed curtain-down time. Check TfL shortly before travelling.

Southbank Centre describes a route through Royal Festival Hall Level 2 and the Riverside Terrace for the foyer, rear stalls and most auditorium rows.

Front stalls rows A–C and their wheelchair spaces use a different approach via the Artists’ Entrance. Royal Festival Hall lift refurbishment can affect the route: ask staff about alternatives and check the current access map.

Arrange any required seating or companion provision with the venue before purchase.

A riverside stroll makes a simple optional addition if the weather suits your group.

If you would rather stay indoors, compare a BFI festival screening on another day instead of squeezing two timed cultural bookings into the same evening. Choose food by where you need to be at 18:00 or 19:00; a cross-city restaurant stop adds another journey before admission.

Leave the return journey flexible because the advertised runtime is approximate.