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On 11 June 2008, Los Angeles Opera presented Puccini's Tosca with a second cast that was in no way less stellar than the original. The production by Ian Judge was not new, but his second act direction for Hungarian soprano, Georgina Lukás, as Tosca, and Spanish baritone, Juan Pons, as Scarpia, was dramatically exciting. Instead of falling back when she stabbed him, he knocked her down and they grappled on the floor until he finally expired.

The box sets by John Gunter not only reproduced the Roman sites well but also helped project the vocal sound into the auditorium. The excellent work of lighting designer Mary Louise Geiger was most apparent in the shadows on the walls that added an atmosphere of apprehension, and in the waning of the night sky that was followed by a red dawn at the very end of the opera.

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