Faust

OA Faust - photo by Jeff BusbySir David McVicar’s celebrated production of Gounod’s Faust returns to the Joan Sutherland Theatre stage at the Sydney Opera House in all its devilish glory this February.

McVicar sets this grand scale production in the composer’s own lifetime; among the decadence and debauchery of 1870s Paris. Brilliant young Italian conductor Lorenzo Passerini will make his Australian debut, leading the principals alongside the Opera Australia Chorus and Orchestra, performing Gounod’s bold and demanding score.

Acclaimed Italian tenor Ivan Magrì will make his role debut as Faust. A regular performer at opera houses around the world, this will be Magrì’s first appearance at the Sydney Opera House since his triumphant debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème in 2019.

Performing alongside Magrì is audience favourite Teddy Tahu Rhodes, who will bring his devilish theatrics to the stage as Faust’s Satanic companion, Méphistophélès. Known for his powerful voice and commanding stage presence, Rhodes will bring these talents to the stage for his performance as the charming and manipulative devil.

Superstar Russian soprano Irina Lungu will take to the stage as the ill-fated Marguerite. Praised for her “gloriously coloured melodiousness and fluid tone” (Sydney Morning Herald, 2019), Lungu most recently performed the role of Marguerite at the Royal Opera House in London.

Anna Dowsley is set for another stellar performance in a pants role as Siébel with her fellow OA principals Michael Honeyman, Dominica Matthews and Richard Anderson also performing.

Set designer Charles Edwards’ glorious designs bring McVicar’s vision of Paris to life and include the reconstruction of the Cabaret L’Enfer, a hell-themed nightclub in Montmartre in the late 19th century, and the Church of Saint-Séverin on Paris’ Left Bank.

Faust is a wild ride through the streets of the French capital, with its tale of romance, temptation and the age-old battle between satanic powers and religion. It is grand opera in all its components – gripping plot, stunning production design and glorious music.

Conductor: Lorenzo Passerini Director & Choreographer: Sir David McVicar Featuring: Ivan Magrì, Irina Lungu, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Michael Honeyman, Anna Dowsley, Sian Sharp, Richard Anderson, Opera Australia Chorus and Orchestra Revival Director: Shane Placentino Assistant Director: Matthew Barclay Set Designer: Charles Edwards Costume Designer: Brigitte Reiffenstuel Lighting Designer: Paule Constable Lighting Realisation: Catherine Alexander Choreographer: Michael Keegan-Dolan Fight Director: Nigel Poulton


Faust
Joan Sutherland Theatre – Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point
Season: 10 February – 11 March 2020
Bookings: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

For more information, visit: www.opera.org.au for details.

Image: Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Méphistophélès and the Opera Australia Chorus in Opera Australia’s 2019 production of Faust at Arts Centre Melbourne – photo by Jeff Busby