In this unusual production of Handel’s Messiah, the church as a setting is key. The twelve professional singers play characters from everyday life who find themselves in this sacred place. They do not know each other and they have their own reasons for being there but each is in search of something — consolation, affirmation, forgiveness, direction. Some of them carry the concept of a Messiah in their hearts, some are not religious at all. 

As they sing through this traditional work, they engage with each other and themselves, ultimately experiencing the transformation from need and despair to understanding and hope. 

This production was created in the UK in 2011 by the Merry Opera Company. It has been brought back by request almost every year since. Audiences report that it gives Handel’s Messiah ‘new meaning’, ‘new invigoration’.  The Merry Opera is grateful to The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust and The Smew Fund for financial support.

Performances will take place at venues around South East England in November and December 2025. Here at All Saints Church, Blackheath we will host a performance on Friday 21^st November 2025 at 7.30 pm. Tickets (£25 for adults, £18 for under 18s) are available through www.merryopera.co.uk. A proportion of the proceeds will go to our Church.