The Book of Water is a chamber music theatre project based upon the novella Man in the Holocene by Swiss author Max Frisch. The work centres around the character of Geiser, a 73-year-old widower, who is dealing with memory loss.

The main plot of this rampant collection of scenes from the streets of the lower East Side of New York revolves around Frank and Anna Maurrant and their daughter Rose. A violent and tough character, Frank fails to see his wife’s growing despair due to his lack of affection. When he discovers her with her lover, he shots them both and goes to jail, leaving behind a heartbroken Rose who, after having experienced relentless harassment by two aggressive suitors, misses her one true chance at love. The opera ends by showing the streets of New York City moving on from these mundane events in total indifference.

ENO revival of the classic Gilbert and Sullivan operetta as reimagined in a 1930s grand hotel setting with Marx Brothers-inspired humour and Busby Berkeley-style dance numbers