Overview
Luck, be a lady tonight: when Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour's famed floating stage returns for 2025, Guys and Dolls will be sweeping audiences off to 50s-era Manhattan from the city's — and the country's — most-stunning performance venue. As one production does each year, the hit five-time Tony-winning musical will unleash its showgirls and gangsters, as well as its incredibly catchy tunes, against a helluva backdrop.
Guys and Dolls will play the unique waterfront opera venue at Mrs Macquaries Point from Friday, March 21–Sunday, April 20, following in the footsteps of West Side Story in 2024, Madama Butterfly in 2023, The Phantom of the Opera in 2022 and La Traviata in 2021 — to name just a few shows that've gotten the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour treatment over the years. This time, expect a new version of a musical that first premiered on Broadway in 1950, then on West End in 1953, and has enjoyed many a revival in the seven decades since.
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2016 — Turandot, Hamilton Lund.
The story, as also conveyed in the 1955 Marlon Brando- and Frank Sinatra-starring film — which was nominated for four Oscars — follows Sky Masterson as he endeavours to win big, then crosses paths with missionary Sister Sarah Brown. Also weaved into the narrative: the tale of Nathan and Adelaide, with the former also immersed in gambling and the latter his fiancé.
Tunes such as 'Luck Be a Lady', also 'Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat', 'Adelaide's Lament' and 'I've Never Been in Love Before' will echo across the harbour in the latest take on Guys and Dolls, as directed by Opera Australia's Artistic Director Jo Davies.
"Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is so magical, just the walk through the venue to reach your seat creates such a sense of anticipation. I'm thrilled to be bringing a beloved musical like Guys and Dolls, with its wild ensemble dance numbers and brilliantly sharp comedy, to this incredible stage," said Davies.
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2021 — La Traviata, Hamilton Lund.
Helping make the season even more of a spectacle is Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour veteran set designer Brian Thomson, who also demonstrated his talents on La Traviata, Carmen and West Side Story.
As always, also included in this Guys and Dolls experience is not just the show on the overwater stage, but also fireworks each evening, dazzling Sydney skyline views and hitting up pop-up dining spots that are constructed onsite each year.
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2022 — The Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton Lund.
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2024 — West Side Story, Richard Milnes, Alamy Stock Photo.
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2019 — West Side Story, Hamilton Lund.
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2017 — Carmen, Hamilton Lund.
Guys and Dolls at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour will run from Friday, March 21–Sunday, April 20, 2025 — with tickets via Opera Australia subscription packages available and general tickets on offer from Tuesday, August 13, 2024.
Top image: Opera Australia's Performance of West Side Story on Sydney Harbour 2019, Hamilton Lund.