An opera about the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko is to be staged in West Horsley.

The Russian dissident and former Federal Security Service spy was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210, believed to have been administered in a cup of tea, at a London hotel in 2006.

Three days later he was admitted to Barnet General Hospital in north London, before his conditioned worsened and he was transferred to University College Hospital in London, where he died on November 23.

A public inquiry 10 years later concluded that Vladimir Putin probably approved the 43-year-old's assassination.

Wasfi Kani said Litvinenko's story has all the elements of an opera

Now the story of the prominent critic of the Russian President will be depicted in an opera through a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards.

It features characters Litvinenko, his widow Marina, the dead Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky and the assassin Sergey Lugovoy.

The world premiere of The Life & Death of Alexander Litvinenko will take place in July next year at Grange Park Opera, West Horsley.

CEO and founder of the opera house Wasfi Kani said composer Anthony Bolton became inspired to tell Litvinenko's story after reading the Death of a Dissident, written by Alexander Goldfarb and Marina.

"He told me he didn't know why he had read it - he's a pretty serious guy - and he thought this would be good and it has all the components of an opera," she said.

"Most operas have someone who dies and there's a massive love element. Litvinenko and Marina had to move country and there is this massive love element, as well as loyalty, and power."

Marina is "absolutely onside" with the production, according to Kani, and has even "become involved" and offered the use of a video that is not in the public domain.

Kani said she is hopeful Marina will attend the premiere next year.

When asked if the show is in poor taste, she pointed to operas long being used as a medium to depict political events - such as the hijacking of passenger liner Achille Lauro by the Palestine Liberation Front in John Adams' Death of Klinghoffer.

"I've seen operas about what is happening in Bosnia... I can't say it was the most compelling thing ever, but some people do try and make current events into operas," Kani said.

Is prodding Putin risky?

"A few people have been asking me whether I'm having to test my tea bags for polonium-120. There is always a reason not to do things in these days with health and safety.

"But I think I'm small-fry. This is showbiz and I think they [Russia] have got more really serious things to worry about.

'Absolutely on side': Litvinenko's widow, Marina has given her blessing for the show

The opera is four years in the making having encountered some minor barriers with casting.

"Anyone can look like Tosca, but we're doing an opera on a recent people and they have to look like them," explained Kani.

"Visually that's a challenge, but then you have to find people with the right voice - whether they are tenors or bass.

"I think there are only 13 opera houses in the country... so it's a big thing for Surrey to now get an opera house and an even bigger thing for Surrey to have the world premiere of something that will be talked about all over the world."

The opera is sung in English, with some choruses in Russian with British-Australian tenor Adrian Dwyer playing Litvinenko.