A SPECIAL rendition of the story of Rumpelstiltskin is set to come to West Cumbria next week.

The pageant opera The Rattler will showcase at St Bees School Memorial Hall for two performances on July 30 and 31.

The Rattler has been developed in association with Anvil Arts and Rosehill and opened at the Southbank Centre, London, to great reviews in March this year.

Cumbrian soprano Kirsty McLean plays the lead role of Alyson. “It’s going to be so nice coming back to Cumbria to perform,” she says. “I knew from living here at a young age I wanted to be a performer. I went to Queen Katherine School in Kendal and I was a part of the Amabile Kendal Choir.”

The Rattler is Kirsty’s first professional job, a big change from university. “There was an audition for young opera singers aged 18-25 last July and I was hired. I’ve been rather spoilt as it’s my first job, because everybody here is fantastic and there are some high-calibre musicians.”

The Rattler – a new interactive retelling of Rumpelstiltskin – began its nationwide tour in March.

Each performance begins with a series of music and craft activities and a colourful pageant. As the festivities unfold with lively, folk-infused music, puppetry and inventive storytelling, you are invited to help bring this age-old tale to life.

The Mahogany Opera Group prides itself on delivering new opera in different ways. The group works with emerging artists and creates new works and reinvents existing ones.

Kirsty adds: “I love working for the Maghogany Group because they try to reach out to the masses and create a children’s opera that isn’t fancy but is educational and interactive. I think people have it in their heads that opera is fancy and out of their league, but we aim to make it educational, and fun for all the family.”

The Rattler is at St Bees School Memorial Hall on July 30 at 6.30pm and July 31 at 2pm. Tickets are £12 and £6 for under 16s. To book, contact Rosehill on 01946 692422 or visit rosehilltheatre.co.uk