Chop Chef

Blush-Opera-Jermaine-Chau-stars-as-Kitty-in-Chop-ChefStart sharpening your knives and vocal chords as the world premiere of new Australian Opera, Chop Chef hits the Riverside Theatres Stage and Digital from 22 – 24 April 2021.

Chop Chef is a dark, satirical comedy where six contestants from around Australia enter the cooking battle field of a fictional reality television series. Faced with unusual and extreme cooking challenges, Kitty, Tom, Andy, Victoria, Kale and Renée must compete to remain alive in the game and avoid facing the chop – literally.

The shiny kitchen arena is watched over by three omnipresent judges who decide the fate of each contestant but not all is as it seems and some contestants start to question the forces that bind them to their contracts. Perhaps the tables will turn…

This new Australian opera mashes together flavours of Masterchef and Hunger Games on the operatic stage where reality television can be pushed to its absurd conclusions. In thrilling arias and melodramatic ensembles, each contestant is pushed to their limit and will stop at nothing to be the last chef standing. In the game of Chop Chef, there is only one rule – eat or be eaten. Are you ready to join our live audience?

Chop Chef is a chamber opera in two acts by Julie Koh (Librettist) and Paul Smith (Composer) that explores the characters, tropes, and narrative devices of reality television and exports them to the operatic stage where they can be pushed to their absurd conclusions.

Chop Chef is the latest creation from the Blush trio Co-Artistic directors Jermaine Chau (Fancy Me Dead, The Muffin Fiend), Paul Smith (Fancy Me Dead, The Muffin Fiend), and Music Director Luke Spicer.

These shows are a matter of life and death for the contestants. By exploring this topic, Blush is committed to expanding contemporary operatic repertoire with stories that have a direct resonance with broad Australian audiences.

Directors: Kenneth Moraleda & Nicole Pingon Conductor: Luke Spicer Featuring: Gavin Brown, Benjamin Caulkwell, Jermaine Chau, Lisa Cooper, Ayako Ohtake, Nick Geddes Set & Costume Designer: Keerthi Subramanyam Lighting Designer: Kate Baldwin Video Designer: Susie Henderson Production Manager: Tyler Fitzpatrick Creative Consultant: Courtney Stewart Associate Music Director: Antonio Fernandez


Chop Chef
Lennox Theatre – Riverside Theatres, Corner Church and Market Streets, Parramatta
Performances: 22 – 24 April 2021
Bookings: www.riversideparramatta.com.au

For more information, visit: www.blushopera.com for details.

Image: Jermaine Chau stars as Kitty in Chop Chef (supplied)

Note: Chop Chef will be performed live from Riverside Theatres and livestreamed to audiences across the country via Riverside Theatres Digital.