A new opera, The Galloping Cure, has premiered at the Edinburgh festival, tackling America's opioid crisis through the story of a travelling showman who cures a struggling rural town's pain only to trap it in something far darker. Composed by Missy Mazzoli with a libretto by Royce Vavrek, the pair behind the acclaimed Breaking the Waves adaptation, it is based on a Karen Russell story inspired by Kafka's A Country Doctor, and is staged by Scottish Opera and Opera Ventures Productions in a production directed by Tom Morris.

The plot follows local doctor Theresa Hart as she initially welcomes carnival showman Lucky Mack, whose free carousel rides seem to relieve the town's suffering, before his exploitative tactics such as ride limits and surge pricing spark desperation and death. Reviewers praised Mazzoli's richly textured, brassy score and Vavrek's mix of lyricism and satire, alongside striking staging featuring flying-horse lighting effects and a chilling, blackly comic final act. Daniela Mack was singled out as outstanding in the central role, with strong support from Gabrielle Turgeon, Justin Austin and Susan Bullock, under conductor Stuart Stratford.