Review by Alison Stoddart
The Joan Sutherland Theatre plays host to Opera Australia’s Queensland production of Dido and Aeneas for a two-week season of performances in March 2025.
The tradition of combining grand opera with another discipline evolved out of 19th century France with the inclusion of ballet. So, with a nod to France, it is that Opera Australia has joined forces with Circa in a production that is both thrilling and mesmerising. Circa, a performing arts company since 2004 and based in Brisbane, blends movement, dance and acrobatics in this collaboration with the ensemble from Opera Queensland.
The narrative revolves around the Greek tragic mythological love story of Dido, the queen of Carthage and the Trojan prince Aeneas, who leaves Dido to pursue his destiny of founding the city of Rome, an act which reduces Dido to suicide (not much ‘She Believes’ there unfortunately). The two main roles are performed by homegrown opera stars Anna Dowsley and Nicholas Jones, a brilliant young tenor who, nevertheless, is outperformed by Dowsley’s vocal range. Dowsley sings two roles, that of the Carthaginian queen and the sorceress and she moves easily between the two. The opera is followed with the aid of surtitles displayed in English on a screen.
The intensity of the vocals, while soaring through the performance space and overpowering the orchestra, sometimes feels like too much. The relief provided by the acrobats, mainly just by being on stage, is undeniable. But the performance itself by Circa is as sublime in its own way as that of the Queensland operatic singers. The physical strength of the female performers is worth noting. To witness a medium sized woman lay face down flat on the floor, have a man stand on her back, another performer climb onto his shoulders, and then watch her go into a kneeling position seemed impossible. But rise she did, even going further and getting to her feet, all while balancing two humans on her shoulders.
The inclusion of the acrobatic performance plays with the aesthetic of opera. Contrasting with Dido (Dowsley), her beautiful face and hair drawing all eyes to her when she is on stage, the luminous and often ethereal feats of strength by the acrobats is its own study of beauty. Under the expert lighting, Circa engage with ropes, hanging silk ties, tightropes and poles. But it is when the company of ten performers cluster together, lifting each other and undertaking many ‘trust falls’ that they shine. The motions of their bodies have been deliberately slowed and the use of a bright white screen as a backdrop shows them as mere shadows, lithe and gracious in their movements. They dominate the bare stage and negate the need for an elaborate set.
With the aid of spectacular lighting, striking costumes and the brevity of a three-act opera, this performance of Dido and Aeneas merged seamlessly the two art forms, complementing and enhancing both to create a sensational production. If opera seems alluring but daunting at the same time, this option with a performance time of around ninety minutes (no interval) is a worthy reason to venture down to the exquisite setting on Sydney harbour.
