Sydney Festival Brings Circus and Classical Music Together for an Enthralling Show

At the heart of Sydney, a beautiful melding of arts saw the audience cheering for a captivating combination of circus and classical music during their latest festival. Opera Australia, alongside Opera Queensland and Circa, redefined entertainment with their production of Orpheus & Eurydice at Joan Sutherland Theatre in the iconic Sydney Opera House, which runs through the end of January.

A Circus Reinterpretation of a Classic Opera

Orpheus & Eurydice, esteemed for its musical purity and simple melodic lines, was reinvented through the artistry of Yaron Lifschitz who intelligently integrated acrobatic flair from the Circa Ensemble. With performers dressed in striking costumes by Libby McDonnell, creating a dreamlike atmosphere, the tale of love and loss is told with a new physical intensity but without overshadowing Gluck's cherished score. The acrobatic interludes, though breathtaking, served Gluck's intention by adding depth and dimension to the opera.

Evocative Musicality From a Sitar Virtuoso

In the same celebratory season, Anoushka Shankar entranced audiences at the Concert Hall with her sitar's sundry timbres. Her quintet blurred the lines of musical genres, weaving jazz with Indian classical and creating an idyllic tapestry of sound. Despite a minor imbalance in volume and some rhythmical intricacies, Shankar's performance remains a testimony to her explorative spirit and virtuosity.

Indigenous Rock History Remembered in Musical Theatre

The festival also saw a poignant look back at the history of Warumpi Band, an Aboriginal rock-group, in the musical Big Name, No Blankets at Roslyn Packer Theatre. This show highlights the band's trailblazing decision to sing in their native language and their raw musical power. Yet, while the importance of their story was clear, the narrative's dramatic potential felt underused. Audience members were left craving a deeper, more detailed story into the lives and impacts of these iconic musicians.

culture, musicals, review