Tim Benjamin

Moscow, 2020: An old man wakes amid the filth and detritus of early 21st century consumerism. Who is he? Why is he sleeping here? What causes the fever that plagues his mind? His last day is upon him. Before the final judgement we hear his tale, told through the questions and exclamations of his past, seared into his mind as his life unwinds.

R.I.P. or Rest In Peace is a one-act opera, based on the short story Life as a series of questions and exclamations by Anton Chekhov. The text was translated and adapted by Tim Benjamin.

R.I.P. features a single character, an old man named Ezdeyev, who is homeless and sleeping rough. He tells the story of his life, and how he ended up in this situation, through the unusual means of reliving numerous short questions and exclamations both of his own and those of other people in his life, most notably his complicated relationship with his father!

For production information and photos, see the R.I.P. page on the Radius Opera website.

“A masterclass ... twice over. If Harold Pinter had ever written an opera, this would surely be it”

— Bachtrack