The full title of Reinhard Keiser's opera, of which Tim Albery's production for Opera North is the first in this country, is The Proud, Deposed and Reinstated Croesus, which neatly sums up the plot. Less well remembered than the Lydian king's fabulous wealth is his removal from power by his Persian enemy Cyrus, who may or may not have burned him alive, but who in the opera here changes his mind after an intervention by the philosopher Solon, and returns him to the throne.

Musically, the evening's obvious reference point is Handel, 11 years Keiser's junior, who left Germany and went on to espouse full-blown Italian opera seria in London. Keiser was working in a different tradition. His arias are shorter than Handel's, there are more ensembles, the orchestration is imaginatively wide-ranging, and comic scenes intermingle with the serious, notably for the opportunistic servant Elcius, appealingly played here by John Graham-Hall. But then none of Keiser's arias has the sheer memorability Handel came up with time and time again.

Keiser's opera is ultimately no lost masterpiece, but Opera North's interpretation easily transcends mere specialist interest. Leslie Travers' costumes have a 1920s look, and the evening starts flamboyantly with a hedonistic fancy-dress party before Croesus's fortunes take a downturn. Paul Nilon sings the title role with vigour through good times and bad. The American male soprano Michael Maniaci makes a definite vocal splash as his son Atis, who begins the opera dumb but discovers the power of speech when all seems lost, and Gillian Keith shines as his lover Elmira. Conductor Harry Bicket draws convincing period playing from Opera North's orchestra, highlighting Keiser's ability to create diverse musical moods.

· In rep until November 10. Box office 0844 848 2700. Then touring.