State Opera South Australia’s vibrant and vivacious production of The Barber of Seville will have you shouting Figaro, as Rossini’s comic masterpiece is brought to life in a riot of colour and comedy at Her Majesty’s Theatre this November.
A favourite with opera audiences, The Barber of Seville is the story of a love-sick Count, a feisty young woman, and a barber with a cunning plan all wrapped up in a mad-cap adventure.
Expect crazy disguises, chase scenes, and a healthy sprinkling of true love to some of the most memorable and “hummable” tunes in the opera cannon.
Rossini’s most popular opera is a giddy romp along the path to true love, and Director Lindy Hume invites audiences to fall “head over heels” with The Barber of Seville’s vivid colour, sheer joy and madcap wit.
Her vision for this opera classic has been seen in Seattle, Queensland, Western Australia, and New Zealand, and now makes its way to Adelaide, having been rescheduled from early 2020 due to the pandemic.
Audiences can expect vocal fireworks from a dazzling all-Australian cast. Returning to the stage for State Opera are two of the best in the business, both in their signature roles: tenor John Longmuir (Camille in The Merry Widow, 2018) as Count Almaviva and baritone Morgan Pearse, who wowed as Toreador Escamillio in Carmen in 2019, as the barber Figaro.
Rising star Katie Stenzel makes her State Opera debut as the savvy Rosina, and the villan of the piece, Bartolo is played by Adelaide favourite Douglas McNicol.
They are joined by a supporting cast of local artists including: Pelham Andrews, Teresa La Rocca, Jeremy Tatchell and Nicholas Cannon, as well as The State Opera Chorus and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Graham Abbott.
Director: Lindy Hume AM | Conductor: Graham Abbott | Designer: Tracy Grant Lord | Lighting: Matthew Marshall | Associate Director: Jason Barry-Smith | Associate Choreographer: Carol Wellman Kelly | Assistant Director: Clara Solly-Slade
The Barber of Seville
Her Majesty’s Theatre, 58 Grote Street, Adelaide
Season: 11 – 20 November 2021
Information and Bookings: www.stateopera.com.au
Image: The Barber of Seville (NZ Opera) – photo by David Rowland