We were looking forward to it a full year ago. Now, after more anticipation than we could ever have imagined in a pre-Covid world, La Traviata has finally arrived to Sydney Harbour and does not disappoint. It is a spectacle…
Best. Opera. Ever. As a reviewer, I’ve seen my fair share of operas. Many of them several times over. So this is a big call. I declare Opera Australia’s new production of Tosca to be the most engaging and powerful…
When invited to attend the opening night of Opera Australia’s latest production, Bluebeard’s Castle, I knew to expect something different and interesting. Even without reading a summary of the story, “early 20th century Hungarian composer” already signals dark and dread….
After nearly a year of forced abstinence, Sydney’s performing arts lovers are enjoying the treat of getting dressed up, meeting friends and going out for a night at the opera more than ever before. Knowing this, Opera Australia have made…
We’ve all heard of Attila the Hun, but few even amongst regular opera goers and classical music buffs know that there is an opera bearing his name. I for one am ready to admit that I hadn’t heard of Attila…
The myth of Faust is a familiar and oft-adapted tale – the old man who sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for a return to youth and a shot at love with a beautiful virgin. Gounod reworked Goethe’s…
Don Giovanni is back in black. Legendary Scottish Director Sir David McVicar’s shifts the action of Mozart’s masterpiece of of sexual morality into the Gothic period, thus celebrating the supernatural aspects of the story, heightening the emotional conflicts of the…
In his new and supposedly last play, Family Values, David Williamson is his classic self – angry, controversial and very, very funny. As he has done for the last 50 years, Williamson once again “puts his hands into our national…
The return of John Bell’s 2016 production of Carmen for Opera Australia is a welcome dose of heat in this summer that has not yet arrived. Bizet’s Carmen, even in its’ traditional form, is a risqué story. As if casual…
La Bohème is back! In a revival of one of Opera Australia’s most popular productions, with some of its’ biggest stars returning to their acclaimed roles, it is sure to be a hit once again. The story of La…