The Majestically Decaying Head of Queen Nefertiti Is Sitting in Sydney Harbour Right Now
See the barely believable images from Sydney's annual Opera on the Harbour.
The trouble with going to the opera in Sydney is, once you're there, you can no longer see the Sydney Opera House. No stawlwart sails, no gleaming cream tiles, no spiky little silhouette. And what's the fun in that?
But for one month of the year Sydney has their theatrical cake and eats it too, when Handa Opera on the Harbour sets up at Mrs Macquarie's Point. The floating outdoor opera comes with an eye-popping view of Sydney's natural and artificial bounties, including the Opera House and Harbour Bridge beyond. This year Handa Opera on the Harbour is going Egyptian for Verdi's Aida, a love triangle of epic, war-starting proportions. With Gale Edwards directing, the set by Mark Thompson includes the giant rotating head of Queen Nefertiti, live camels and plenty of fireworks.
The 30m x 28m stage, 2.5 times larger than any you'll find indoors in Australia, is partially built at White Bay then trucked to Fleet Steps in the Royal Botanic Gardens, where it's lifted onto pylons and completed. The cranes actually form part of the mise en scene in this instance, with the production set in a period where ancient Egypt is decaying and a new world being built (with some more surreal and Devo-esque touches adding to the spectacle of the thing). The orchestra is housed directly beneath the stage, in an area apparently dubbed 'The Underworld'.
Made possible by the continued funding of philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa, the previous three years' shows — La Traviata, Carmen and Madama Butterfly — have proved monumentally successful. At a time when opera is struggling to attract audiences, Opera on the Harbour not only sells tickets but lures in thousands of opera newbies. You don't need to understand opera to understand what makes the occasion great.
Aida is on from March 27 to April 26 at Mrs Macquarie's Point. For more information and to book, visit the Opera Australia website.
Images: Prudence Upton and Hamilton Lund.
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