If the word opera immediately brings about thoughts of large set, pony-tailed ladies booming out indistinguishable foreign words that only serve in sending you to sleep then think again, because times are changing.

In 2007 Lynn Binstock and Matthew Quirk founded Unexpected Opera with the sole intent of turning the centuries old tradition into something slightly more modern, attracting those who usually turn their noses up at their mere mention of the O-word.

The Barber of Savile Row, adapted from Rossini's classic The Barber of Seville, is their debut production and gone are those foreign warblings to be replaced by nice understandable English and a whole host of surprise elements, including a panto dame, stand-up comic, audience participation and a four-piece combo.

"What we have is a performance that tries to put the show into opera in a way that someone not into opera can understand and enjoy," said artistic director Lynn.

"It's in English and you will know every word, particularly in the Warehouse Theatre as it's quite close and like a private performance.

"We took it on tour last year and decided to do it again in order to get it to more people because those that saw it told us what a great time they had.

"We had a lot of responses from the people we hoped to reach, the people that haven't tried opera before."

For this surprising and fast-paced adaptation, the company have taken the comic opera out of the 17th century and into 1950s London with barber Figaro portrayed as a Teddy Boy with a touch of Elvis, another part of their plan to make it more appealing to the modern generations.

"It is set in the 1950s so people will get all the references instead of watching something set a couple of centuries ago," said Lynn.

"The lead man is an upper class bloke who learns street fighting from Figaro so he can become a bit more of a wheeler dealer and the heroine is a working class girl in a tailor's shop."

Lynn is no newcomer to the opera world, having spent time as director the Royal Opera House, Scottish Opera and English National Opera before deciding to go down this alternative route in the mid-1990s.

"It started when my kids were growing up," she said.

"I began this company called Curious Opera Group for families and it became something I really enjoyed doing and it ran for 10 years.

"Then the popular streak in me came to the front to try and do something that was light on its feet and brought good entertainment to a much wider spectrum of people, hence Unexpected Opera."

The Barber of Savile Row, Warehouse Theatre, Dingwall Road, April 1 to 15, Tues 6.30pm, Weds to Sat 8pm, Sun 5pm, £8 to £15. Call 020 8680 4060 or visit warehousetheatre.co.uk.