The Cunning Little Vixen

Overview

Too expensive? Too long? Seats too far away? Regardless of your reason for not going to the (capital O) Opera, there has been a noticeable drop-off in opera attendances in recent years. It is no surprise then to see young opera companies emerging to reclaim an art that has often been considered to be the epitome of live performance. One of the more dedicated companies is the humbly named Sydney Chamber Opera, who are bringing their production of The Cunning Little Vixen to CarriageWorks at the end of this month.

Chamber operas are one of the perfect tools for reinvigorating interest in the art form. Intimate and petite, they are able to offer very affordable tickets and therefore have the financial freedom to take more risks in their material. Sydney Chamber Opera are embracing this completely, and are following up their first production (Notes from Underground by Jack Symonds and Pierce Wilcox, after Fyodor Dostoyevsky) with a tale of woodland animals tackling love, heartbreak and the enduring cycle of life and death.

Directed by Kate Gaul (of Siren Theatre) and conducted by Jack Symonds, this version of The Cunning Little Vixen promises to be as sleek as a wild fox. Julie Goodwin, previously seen in national tours of Phantom of the Opera and West Side Story, helms a cast of beautiful ferals amidst a stylish, clear-cut world where the rhythms and melodies of life flow relentlessly on.