Royal Opera revival of La Fille du régiment delights with fresh fizz

Sara Blanch (Marie) & Juan Diego Flórez (Tonio)
© RBO/Tristram Kenton

Yves Abel (Conductor)

Laurent Pelly (Director & Costume Designer)

Dan Dooner (Revival Director)

Agathe Mélinand (Dialogue)

Chantal Thomas (Set Designer)

Joël Adam (Lighting Designer)

Laura Scozzi (Choreographer)

Karine Girard (Revival Choreographer)

Royal Opera Chorus

William Spaudling (Chorus Director)

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Magnus Johnston (Concert Master)

Juan Diego Flórez (Tonio)
© RBO/Tristram Kenton

Sara Blanch (Marie)

Juan Diego Flórez (Tonio)

Paolo Bordogna (Sulpice Pingot)

Sonia Ganassi (La Marquise de Berkenfield)

Donald Maxwell (Hortensius)

Eugene Dillon-Hooper (Corporal)

Luke Price (Peasant)

Jean-Pierre Blanchard (Notary)

Tamsin Greig (La Duchesse de Crakentorp)

7.30pm, Tuesday 7 July 2026

Royal Opera, Covent Garden, London

★★★★

Donizetti, Gaetano (1797-1848): La fille du régiment, Opera comique

(Libretto de Saint-Georges, Jules-Henri Vernoy (1799-1845) & Bayard, Jean-François-Alfred (1796-1853))

Sara Blanch (Marie), Juan Diego Flórez (Tonio)
& Paolo Bordogna (Sulpice)
© RBO/Tristram Kenton

'Laurent Pelly’s sparkling production of Donizetti’s La Fille du régiment is back at The Royal Opera, and based on last night’s opening performance, the fizz is as fresh as ever'.

'Making her Royal Opera debut as Marie, Sara Blanch was frankly astonishing. She is the complete package, with impeccable comic timing and convincing physical comedy, but also phenomenal vocal technique, whether upright, lying down or being held aloft by a chorus of soldiers'.

'He also still has that ability to flip from Harold Lloyd-esque comedy and highwire vocal gymnastics to winning hearts in the sustained lyricism of 'Pour me rapprocher de Marie''.

'Tamsin Greig’s splendid turn as the stuffy Duchess was in danger of stealing the show, even managing to make the shoe-horned World Cup jokes land, and maintaining character right to the curtain call'.

Tamsin Greig (Duchesse de Crakentorp) and chorus
© RBO/Tristram Kenton

'So raise a glass of bubbly to this effervescent and polished evening of joyful nonsense, and to the strong performances all round, not least from Flórez and especially Blanch – here’s hoping for more from her at Covent Garden in the future'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.