Opera Australia's Summer
The season opens early January with Neil Armfield's virtual-panto production of The Marriage of Figaro. According to the backstage cat, Tiffany Speight as Susanna is brilliant in a huge role. Jose Carbo as Count Almaviva is also worth a tick. (He follows up with Figaro in The Barber of Seville later in the year.)
Up next is La traviata and Elvira Fatykhova as Violetta is the draw card after her stunning OA debut as Manon. She recently did Lucia in Queensland - brilliant too. Aldo Di Toro makes his OA debut as Alfredo later in the season opposite Kate Ladner.
Sweeney Todd Well what can you say - Peter Coleman-Wright and Judi Connelli (pictured here) - can't really go past them. The Demon Barber and his dreadful accomplice - definitive performances from the two leads.
Alcina for Handel's old fave, Justin Way is one to watch. He's a young director who is working as a resident director at Covent Garden. This is his first production for OA after directing Dardanus for Pinchgut last year. His designers, Kimm Kovac and Andrew Hayes, have created a magical word of illusion and colour.
Rusalka. After Sweeney Todd this is The Ticket to go for.
The Dvorak classic - although not often staged - stars the divine Cheryl Barker in the title role. Without a doubt this is another turning point for Barker (her appearances in Madama Butterfly and La traviata were also career landmarks for the soprano and for OA). It's a difficult role and a major debut for her. The director, Olivia Fuchs, will also be interesting to watch.
For dates and bookings: www.opera-australia.org.au
