Puccini’s tragic tale of doomed romance, La Boheme, comes to the stage for one night only this weekend - with a special canine star.

Set in Paris, the opera is the tale of the turbulent love affair between seamstress Mimi and poet Rodolfo.

Director and producer Ellen Kent was inspired for her production by reading George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London. Sung in Italian with English surtitles, the show includes the famous arias Your Tiny Hand is Frozen, They Call Me Mimi and Musetta’s Waltz.

It stars soprano Alyona Kistenyova as Mimi and French soprano Olga Perrier as her friend Musetta.

The production also has a local star: five-year-old Dartford dog, Red, owned by Janet James, who will appear as Musetta’s pet in a cafe scene.

La Boheme will be at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford on Sunday, February 19.

For tickets, visit orchardtheatre.co.uk or call 01322 220000.