NEWPORT’S Lady Rhondda and the tale of women’s suffrage is being celebrated by the Welsh National Opera in a new all-female show, writes Tasmin Lockwood.

Rhondda Rips It Up!, which follows music hall style with a mashup of comedy and songs, features Welsh National Opera Der Rosenkavalier and Carmen stars Madeleine Shaw as Lady Rhondda, and soprano Lesley Garrett as Emcee, Master of Ceremonies, in a character based on real-life pioneering music hall entertainer Vesta Tilley, a female compere impersonating a male.

The shows follows the escapades of Lady Rhondda, and her brave battalion of suffragettes as they fearlessly takes on Peers, politicians and post-boxes in their struggle for women’s rights.

Artistic director David Pountney said: “We are proud to bring to life of one of Wales’ unsung heroines of the suffrage movement to the stage.

“Our all-female team on talented performers and creatives have worked closely with Margaret’s biographer Angela John, and taken inspiration from songs and speeches of the suffragettes as well as the sounds of the Edwardian music hall, to create highly original and body new work which is real departure for WNO.”

Lesley Garrett said: “Rhondda Rips It Up! is a great celebration of a wonderful woman. She was a pioneer, Wales’ equivalent of Emmeline Pankhurst. All women in Britain should be grateful to her. It is an honour to be a part of a work that celebrates powerful women and their inspired quest for emancipation, liberation and respect.”

Rhondda Rips It Up! will debut at the Riverfront in Newport before touring Wales and England in June.