About the Show

Opera by Oliver Leith co-directed by Matt Copson and Anna Morrissey, starring Agathe Rousselle.

Blake, a reclusive rock musician, has returned home after leaving rehab, but finds himself unable to escape a quiet internal collapse. Surrounded by everyday noise, spectral visitors, and haunting memories, he drifts aimlessly through domestic life, alienated and unraveling.

First staged in 2021, this revival features Agathe Rousselle (Titane) in the lead role of Blake. The production is co-directed by Matt Copson (also librettist) and Anna Morrissey, with music by composer Oliver Leith. The creative team includes set designer Grace Smart, lighting designer Prema Mehta, and an original aria recorded by singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek. A co-commission with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the production is sung in English with surtitles.

Rather than referencing grunge music directly, the opera evokes its ethos through sonic repetition and mood. Adapted from Gus Van Sant’s 2005 film of the same name, Last Days maintains a non-linear narrative structure, reflecting the film’s introspective approach to storytelling and its resistance to conventional dramatic arcs.

Critic Reviews (6)

"For an opera located in the shadow of death, I’ve rarely this year left a performance feeling so alive."
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"Last Days could be a trite warning against the crushing power of fame, but instead it defies easy interpretation. That makes it all the more deliciously tantalising"
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“Unique sound-world that incorporates many styles”
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"Leith and Copson’s Last Days can stand on its own. It’s that rare beast, a contemporary opera with a genuine future."
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"It is what we hear in Leith’s operatic version... that transforms this depiction of a person undone into something truly disturbing."
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"A production that alchemises the cheerless and desultory original film into a richer, stranger and funnier 90-minute depiction of psychological meltdown."
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