In Australia, Sydney Opera House comes back to life with "The Merry Widow"

Audio 01:48

New Years Eve fireworks over the Sydney Opera House, December 31, 2020. AP - Mark Baker

Text by: Vincent Souriau

4 min

Final alterations, final rehearsals ... the Sydney Opera House is preparing to resume service.

Stopped since early March due to coronavirus, the emblematic cultural site of Australia's most populous city is staging Franz Lehár's “happy widow” from this Tuesday, until January 16.

An operetta to find a smile.

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After ten months of silence, a 2020 season wiped out by the epidemic, it was necessary to move forward.

A story of rejected lovers, aristocrats seeking gold, many intrigues and adventures served by a very excited orchestra.

This is the choice of the artistic director of the Sydney Opera House.

“ 

After this rotten year, we had to show

The Merry Widow,” he says.

 Otherwise it was

Puccini's

Bohemia

, where the heroine died of pulmonary tuberculosis.

I told myself that it was not terrible and that we wanted to have a good laugh.

 " 

In cosmonaut costume, if necessary

The show is open to the public but the capacity is limited.

A little over a thousand lucky people will be able to slip into the room while respecting strict measures: wearing a mask and social distancing.

Regardless, the artists would have come to play in cosmonaut clothes if necessary.

We just want to do our job,"

shouts the troop.

To move and make people dream.

 " 

► 

To read also: Deprived of public, the Opera of Bordeaux records a disc

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