THE BARBER OF SEVILLE Returns to Sydney Opera House in January

Elijah Moshinsky’s production of The Barber of Seville will return to the Sydney Opera House for its 30th anniversary season this January. Conceived as an energetic slapstick, Moshinsky places the action amid a world inspired by 1920s silent films, on Michael Yeargan’s detailed two-storey doll’s house.  

This playful romp offers a perfect introduction to opera: first timers will recognise tunes remixed in popular culture, as heard in Looney Tunes, Mrs Doubtfire and Jersey Shore, performed with virtuosic singing that is so widely adored by opera connoisseurs.

Set in Seville, Figaro is the friendly neighbourhood barber with tricks as sharp as his razors, who sets out on a mission to unite two young lovers in a hilarious evening of disguise and duplicity.

To tackle its most famous aria ‘Largo al factotum’, known as “Fi-ga-ro! Figaro! Figaro!”, Australian baritone Samuel Dale Johnson will make his mainstage Opera Australia debut as the mischievous barber Figaro.

Italian mezzo soprano Serena Malfi, in her first Australian appearance, will share the role of Rosina with Australian Helen Sherman while local tenors John Longmuir and Shanul Sharma will perform Count Almaviva, all accompanied by the Opera Australia Chorus.

International conducting sensation Daniel Smith will return to his homeland to guide the Opera Australia Orchestra, including accomplished Siro Battaglin on the fortepiano, through Rossini’s iconic score, followed by OA Head of Music Tahu Matheson.

A rollicking comedy spurred on by some of the most famous arias in the operatic canon, Gioachino Rossini’s fast-paced, quick-witted masterpiece is the only comic opera to have held its own among the iconic tragedies of the nineteenth century.

Performances run January 18 – February 28, 2025 at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House.