Breaking The Waves
Tickets From £24.25

In sickness and in health…

This hauntingly beautiful opera explores faith, heartbreak and loss with unflinching emotional intensity. Emerging as one of the most powerful contemporary operas of our time and adapted from Lars von Trier’s critically acclaimed film, Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking The Waves comes to ENO in a striking new production for 2026/27.

Book your tickets to experience the drama and emotion of Breaking The Waves in a new opera production, live at the London Coliseum in 2027.

On a remote Scottish island, within a strict religious community, Bess meets oil rig worker Jan, and they fall in love. They are happily married, until a terrible accident leaves Jan paralysed and no longer able to have a sexual relationship with his wife. 

He asks Bess to have sex with other men and describe her experiences to him; convincing her that this will help him to heal. Bess, a deeply devout woman, believing it’s God’s will, reluctantly embarks upon a series of increasingly dangerous encounters with strangers. 

Will her sacrifice save the man she loves? Or will she be left the tragic victim of a system indifferent to her suffering? Find out what depths humanity is willing to go to in this ultimate test of faith. 

Closing

25/02/2027

Running Time

2 hours and 35 minutes, including interval

Genre

Opera

Age & Content

18+ | Children under 5 are not allowed in the auditorium.

Please Note:
  • Content warnings: This opera contains depictions of sex & violence including domestic & sexual violence, violence in a religious context, mutilation & attempted suicide.

Book Breaking The Waves Tickets

No accessibility performances are currently scheduled for this show.