Rufus Wainwright opera for you, soon

Rufus Wainwright's debut opera Prima Donna is to premiere next July in Manchester. In fairness, we could probably leave it at that, but your hunger for tittle demands I continue hitting these keys in the hope that the turd turns to golden yarn.

Anyway, Wainwright, who I still don't get, is to bring the story of a fading Parisian opera singer and he's gonna sing it in French. It will be performed five times from July 10.

Manchester International Director Alex Poots comments on Wainwright's commission, "Rufus Wainwright has an exceptional gift for melody and clearly has a deep affinity with opera. We’re delighted to be working with him as he moves into this new form". MIF 2009 will run from July 2 - 19, with the full programme being announnced in March.

Prima Donna tickets are available from October 10 at www.mif.co.uk.