State Opera South Australia has unveiled the global premiere of a reimagined production of Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, featuring stunning music and visionary staging, at Her Majesty’s Theatre.
State Opera Artistic Director and Conductor Dane Lam said this will be one of Adelaide’s most significant cultural moments of the year, not only for South Australia but for the country.
“To create this production entirely here in South Australia, with extraordinary local artistry and world-class international talent, is a thrilling statement about what Adelaide can achieve,” he said.
“It’s been 25 years since this opera has been staged in South Australia, and I’m proud to be part of a fresh introduction to this magnificent art form for audiences of all ages,” said Lam.
Award-winning London-based director Rodula Gaitanou and Olivier Award–nominated designer takis, both making their South Australian debuts, will craft a poetic, dream-like world that evokes everyone’s memory of first love – its joy and its heartbreak – through artistic contrasts woven throughout the performance. The production is lit by Bernie Tan-Hayes.
Rodula said the staging has been designed to evoke the memory of when you first experienced the bittersweet taste of first love. “With moments of starry-sky wonder, and a modern yet poetic aesthetic, we invite audiences into a suspended space where young love feels fearless and limitless. For anyone experiencing this story for the first time, it should feel as fresh and overwhelming as first love itself,” she said.
The opera tells the story of Verona’s star-crossed lovers who defy their warring families and create their own rules, only to face a tragic end that changes the world around them.
Lam said that Gounod’s music amplifies their journey – charting their joy, courage and ultimate heartbreak in some of opera’s most moving duets. “Gounod’s sweeping score, four ecstatic love duets and breathtaking drama will transport audiences back to that first, unforgettable rush of love,” he said.
Internationally acclaimed Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg makes her role debut as Juliette, while American-born, Adelaide based tenor Kyle Stegall sings Roméo for the first time.
They headline a stellar cast including London-based Australian baritone Morgan Pearse as Mercutio and South Australian soprano Charlotte Kelso as Stephano, supported by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and State Opera Chorus.
Bringing Shakespeare’s most famous lovers to life with a sweeping French score, the production is being created and produced in Adelaide before its planned tour to WA next year and then to Ireland in 2028.
An international co-production with West Australian Opera and Irish National Opera, Roméo et Juliette will showcase monumental, timeless sets and intricate costumes, reinforcing Adelaide’s reputation as a world-class opera-making hub before the production is shared internationally under State Opera’s Opera Without Borders vision.
Roméo et Juliette
Her Majesty’s Theatre, Grote Street, Adelaide
Season continues to 1 November 2025
Information and Bookings: www.stateopera.com.au
Image: Roméo et Juliette – photo by Andrew Beveridge