Giuseppe Verdi’s lush, poignant and devastatingly tragic La Traviata ticks every box opera is often expected to be. It is one of the top three most-performed of the repertoire and is often given generous resources by large companies to keep enticing audiences into the art form.
Opera Australia (OA) did that unforgettably for three decades with director Elijah Moshinsky’s sumptuous production, one worthy of being made a national treasure. A new production to Melbourne – well overdue after its Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth in 2022, and its Sydney premiere in 2024 – might not achieve the 30-year life of its predecessor but has much to offer.
It is a handsome-looking affair from director Sarah Giles that seems intent on playing with time while combining poetic moments of Violetta’s imaginings. Rather intriguingly, Charles Davis’ set and costume designs combine to equally evoke 19th century as they do 20th. A thoughtfully conceived set opens Act I with three cross-sectioned rooms – bedroom, central salon and hall – which provide much scope for Giles’ delivery of meaningful action.
The curtain doesn’t come down at Act I’s conclusion, after which the set undergoes a striking transformation to become Violetta’s country villa in Act II (Scene I), several months later. A similar transformation occurs between Act II (Scene II) and Act III, in a suggestion of accentuating the swiftness of time and Violetta’s race against it, proving distinctly effective.
Adding to that, the story’s tragedienne Violetta (Stacey Alleaume) is given a degree of realism and shading not always encountered. When the overture gets underway, Violetta can be seen in the bedroom looking rather disgusted by having just had sex with her wealthy patron Baron Douphol (Richard Anderson) before pushing the incident aside and joining the raucous partying in the adjacent salon. Her days as a courtesan appear empty.
A sense of faking it both in sex and her social realm is palpable, before being emotionally rescued, you could say, by the dashing Alfredo Germont (Filipe Manu). Thereon, Violetta’s fragility in health mirrors the circumstances she finds herself in when life in the countryside takes a turn, Alfredo’s father Giorgio Germont (Andrii Kymach) arrives to force her to give up Alfredo for the sake of family honour before Violetta’s illusions of real happiness are thwarted.
Here, Giles introduces extras in the background that play out Violetta’s thoughts of what Giorgio Germont describes in terms of his daughter’s proposed marriage. But this proves terribly distracting. Of greater agency, however, is Violetta singing her final dying aria as a soul departing the world while an extra takes her place on a chaise. In reflecting Violetta’s pallor, the final act is further enhanced by Davis’ set, washed of colour by Paul Jackson’s keenly executed lighting design in a touch of creative acuity.
Of course, it can only succeed on account of its leading lady and Melbourne-born Alleaume brings an expressiveness and nuance to the role that captures Violetta’s complexity with convincing strength. She demonstrated that in her role debut in the Moshinsky production in 2022 and it is a treat to see her return with the elegance and penetrating top notes to go with it.
Alleaume works the festiveness and intimacy of the work marvellously, her rich creaminess and purity of tone adapting effortlessly to the role’s emotional demands. In Act I, when pondering if Alfredo is the man who could change everything, she sings a soulfully translucent È strano! … Ah, fors’è lui (Ah, perhaps he is the one), and shows effortlessness in colouring the range between exuberance and pathos.
In Act II’s Non sapete quale affetto, in which Violetta declares death a better option than to leave Alfredo, the palpitations of a distressed heart ring forth, and later, bringing a crushing sense of finality as death consumes her, the Act III duets she shares with Manu are exercises of deeply rooted vocal intuitiveness and sound technique.
With Act I’s famous Brindisi, Manu lifts the spirits of all as the young bourgeois Alfredo and goes on to portray a credible character smitten by love, with a measure of empathy that is not without jealousy. I was not familiar with Manu but the manner he navigates it all with an attractive tenor of compelling ardency and pliancy, as well as cementing the required chemistry with Alleaume, was genuinely impressive.
Representative of strict societal judgement, Kymach certainly adds weighty command as Giorgio Germont and sports a fine gravelly baritone to match, however, the pivotal role he plays in Act II is marred by an unnecessary rigidity in delivery.
Notable among smaller roles, Anderson showed the dominance of entitlement with vocal muscle as Douphol, Angela Hogan acquits herself in vivacious form as Violetta’s friend and part-rival, Flora, and Iain Henderson’s bright tenor adds drive to Violetta and Alfredo’s introduction as their friend Gastone.
The OA Chorus relish every moment in providing musical spectacle and dramatic energy, and sing with mellifluous voice as party guests and friends. There is also much spectacle below as Italian conductor Giampaolo Bisanti draws attention to Verdi’s intoxicating score with wave after wave of dramatic momentum and orchestral balance igniting the stage above.
Presiding over the faultless musicianship of Orchestra Victoria, Bisanti shows expertise and passion in every gesture, even including mouthing the libretto. To that extent, it interferes somewhat with action on stage, given that surtitles already have one’s attention, and demonstrates why the orchestra is best mostly out of sight in the pit in fully staged performances.
That said, as a consequence of the large area the orchestra occupies, a large percentage of the Regent Theatre’s stalls nestle under the dress circle, impacting acoustics significantly, especially felt in the softer moments of recitative. In this respect, OA’s return to the soon-to-be-completed renovations at the State Theatre will be a welcome one.
Newcomers to and lovers of La Traviata should find many aspects of the production, individual performances and musical quality enough to arouse emotion and bask in its artistry. But, if granted one wish, it would be dispensing with Act II’s extras!
La Traviata
Regent Theatre, 191 Collins Street, Melbourne
Performance: Friday 8 May 2026
Season continues to 17 May 2026
Information and Bookings: www.opera.org.au
Images: Filipe Manu as Alfredo Germont and Stacey Alleaume as Violetta Valéry in Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata (2026) – photo by Jeff Busby | Stacey Alleaume as Violetta Valéry in Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata (2026) – photo by Jeff Busby | Filipe Manu as Alfredo Germont and Andrii Kymach as Giorgio Germont in Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata (2026) – photo by Jeff Busby | Stacey Alleaume as Violetta Valéry and Filipe Manu as Alfredo Germont in Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata (2026) – photo by Jeff Busby | Shane Lowrencev as Doctor Grenvil, Angela Hogan as Flora Bervoix and Anthony Mackey as Marquis d’Obigny in Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata (2026) – photo by Jeff Busby | The Cast of Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata (2026) – photo by Jeff Busby
Review: Paul Selar