Chamber opera ‘The Children’s Bach’ is set on the banks of Merri Creek in 1990s suburban Melbourne, based on the original novella by cherished Australian writer Helen Garner.
‘The Children’s Bach’ will be staged by Lyric Opera at Theatre Works this August-September.
“Our production depicts the world of Melbourne’s Inner North in the 1990s, where simple working-class lives are lured into a bohemian world of late-night bars and clubs on Lygon Street. It’s an exploration of sexual freedom and what is ‘modern life’,” Lyric Opera Artistic Director Patrick Burns says.
The show begins with Dexter and Athena Fox, their son, and the insulated world they’ve built together. Soon, a friend from Dexter’s past resurfaces, introducing the couple to the city’s bohemian underbelly. Athena begins to wonder if life might hold more for her, and the tenuous bonds holding the Foxes together, start to fray.
“It is a piece about love in its many forms. In the words of Michael Halliwell, ‘the opera is an evocative meditation on the messiness and complexity of human relationships’…” Director Katy Maudlin says. “It is a profound contemporary chamber opera that is engaging and thought-provoking.”
“Directing ‘The Children's Bach’ is a chance to vividly bring to life the intricate emotional landscape and the profound exploration of freedom and change that Helen Garner so masterfully depicted. It is exciting to be working with Lyric Opera and collaborating once more with the brilliant Patrick Burns as we continue bringing compelling Australian chamber operas to Melbourne audiences.”
Image © Nicole Cleary
Kate Amos stars as Athena in her second production with Lyric, after ‘Our Man In Havanna’. Other productions she’s been in include ‘Whitely’ and ‘Le nozze di Figaro’ for Opera Australia.
Making his Lyric debut in the role of Dexter is Helpmann and Green Room Award-winning Michael Honeyman. Also making his Lyric debut is tenor Adrian Li Donni as Phillip. Adrian has performed in musicals including Opera Australia’s ‘The King And I’, Sydney Theatre Company’s ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ and his Green Room Award-winning performance in ‘Pacific Overture’.
Also in the show are Juel Riggall, Lucy Schneider, and Chloe Taylor.
“Much like Helen Garner’s writing style, the music for ‘The Children’s Bach’ is nuanced and rich with meaning without a hint of excess,” Lyric Artistic Director/‘The Children’s Bach’ conductor Patrick Burns says.
“I love seeing how the very simple and pure Bach-like music is slowly coloured and corrupted with the jazz inspired and blues-coloured chords as the two worlds collide dramatically in the work.”
‘The Children’s Bach’ plays Theatre Works (Melbourne) 30 August-7 September.
