When True Crimes Become Operas
We are used to thinking of opera as an art form of kings, tragic lovers, and mythological heroes. But what if I told you that some of the darkest crimes in history have also found their way onto the operatic stage?
In this series, I’ve brought together several operas inspired by real people, murders, and stories that remain impossible to forget.
1. Lizzie Borden — Lizzie Borden
The real case. In 1892, in Fall River, Massachusetts, Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby, were found murdered with an axe. Andrew's daughter, Lizzie, was accused of the murders. She was acquitted in 1893, but the circumstances of the crime have remained the subject of debate.
The opera. American composer Jack Beeson wrote Lizzie Borden, with a libretto by Kenward Elmslie, based on a scenario by Richard Plant. The opera premiered at New York City Opera on March 25, 1965.
The Borden family story becomes a psychological drama about strained family relationships, suspicion, and the possible motives behind the murders. The opera draws on real events while altering certain details for dramatic effect.
2. Jack the Ripper — Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel
The real case. In the autumn of 1888, a series of murders of women took place in London's Whitechapel district. The identity of the killer, who became known as Jack the Ripper, was never established. His victims were women whose lives and social circumstances long remained on the margins of historical narratives.
The opera. British composer Iain Bell wrote Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel, with a libretto by Emma Jenkins. The world premiere took place at English National Opera in 2019.
The story focuses not on the killer himself, but on the women of London's East End. The central character, Mary Kelly, lives with her grandmother, Maud, runs a lodging house, and tries to secure a better future for her daughter. When women around her begin to disappear, she attempts to protect her community.
Jack the Ripper never appears onstage as a specific person. His presence is embodied through the image of darkness. The opera gives a voice to women whom history has primarily remembered as victims.
3. Aileen Wuornos — Wuornos
The real case. Aileen Wuornos was an American serial killer. Between 1989 and 1990, she killed several men in Florida. Wuornos claimed she had acted in self-defence, but she was convicted and executed in 2002. Her story sparked debates about violence, childhood trauma, responsibility, and the death penalty.
The opera. American composer and librettist Carla Lucero created Wuornos, an opera dedicated to Aileen Wuornos's life. It premiered in San Francisco in 2001.
The opera explores the life of a woman caught between violence, social isolation, and crime. Rather than portraying her solely as a criminal figure, the work examines Wuornos's identity and the circumstances of her life.
4. Helen Prejean — Dead Man Walking
The real story. Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun, really did work with inmates awaiting execution. In her 1993 book, she described her experience as a spiritual adviser to two convicted prisoners, Elmo Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie.
The opera. Composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence McNally created Dead Man Walking, based on Prejean's memoir. The opera premiered at San Francisco Opera on October 7, 2000.
In the opera, a nun becomes the spiritual adviser to Joseph De Rocher, a man sentenced to death for murdering two teenagers. She meets his family and the victims' parents, attempting to reconcile her belief in human dignity with the gravity of his crime.
Importantly, De Rocher is a fictional composite character, created from Prejean's experiences with several inmates. His story is not a literal account of a single real-life murderer.
The opera raises questions about forgiveness, justice, compassion, and the death penalty.
5. Rose West — The Hive
The real case. Rose West and her husband, Fred, committed a series of horrific crimes in the United Kingdom. Rose was convicted of murdering ten girls and young women. Their home in Gloucester became the scene of the crimes, and the case shocked the nation.
The opera. The Hive is an opera by composer Harvey Brough, with a libretto by Carole Hayman. It premiered on November 8, 2025, at the Tung Auditorium in Liverpool, performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Unlike a conventional crime drama, The Hive does not simply attempt to reconstruct Rose West's crimes. The action unfolds in the world of forensic psychiatry, where real-life testimonies from people connected to the case intertwine with fictional voices of journalists, lawyers, and members of the public.
The work incorporates documentary interviews with survivors of abuse, relatives, experts, and others involved in the story. Brough's musical score combines elements of jazz and opera, while the dramatic narrative draws on motifs from dark fairy tales.
The title The Hive comes from a forensic psychiatrist's observation that women are more likely to commit murder close to home — their own kind of "hive."
The opera explores why society is so fascinated by stories of female killers, how the media turn criminals into figures of popular culture, and how violence can remain hidden within families and society.
What makes it particularly interesting: The Hive is not so much an opera about Rose West as it is a work about our own obsession with true crime and the role society plays in shaping the image of a criminal.
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