At last this English-language masterpiece makes its eagerly awaited return to the Lyric stage for the first time in more than a quarter-century. A simple young man from the country inherits a fortune and longs for the excitement of London. Leaving the girl he loves, he travels there escorted by the devil, who leads him into all manner of temptation – and ultimately, to total disaster. Tom Rakewell, his devoted Anne Trulove, the devil Nick Shadow, and the bearded lady Baba the Turk (whom Nick persuades Tom into marrying) are among 20th-century opera’s most memorable characters. They’re brought to life through music that is sparkling, lyrical, and endlessly imaginative in an iconic production designed by famed artist David Hockney.