Opera North is set to showcase Verdi’s “Aida” starting on May 1, 2019.

The production will take place at the Leeds Town Hall for five total performances on May 1, 8, 10, 28, and 30. Additionally, the company will tour the U.K. with additional performances of the Verdi classic. On May 15, the company will showcase the work in Nottingham, followed by a performance at Sage Gateshead on May 18. On May 21, audiences in Edinburgh will see the work while those in Liverpool can witness it on May 24. Hull City Hall will host the performance on June 7 with Birmingham Symphony Hall being the final stop for the tour on June 11, 2019.

Two Latin American artists will take on the leads of the star-crossed lovers. Colombian soprano Alexandra Zabala will star as the Egyptian Princess with Mexican tenor Rafael Rojas as Radamès.

In the role of Amneris will be mezzo-soprano Alessandra Volpe while baritone Eric Greene will be Amonasro. Bass Petri Lindroos will be Ramfis and Michael Druiett will round out the lead cast members as the King of Egypt; Druiett will return to Opera North for the first time since 2016 when he appeared as Wotan in “Das Rheingold.”

Annabel Arden will direct Verdi’s famous score with Sir Richard Armstrong conducting.

“I’m interpreting ‘Aida’ as happening in a contemporary world where war is everywhere. ‘Aida’s’ emotional landscape is also a very interior one; she is very close to death and experiences exile and loss most intensely. We are surrounded by situations today which could be Aida’s,” stated Arden in a press release. “Jealousy, ambition, patriotism and family conflict are eternal human experiences, and the focus in our production will be on the characters’ relationships with each other.”