There’s more to opera than fat ladies singing, heated Italian tenors waving swords, and Teutonic gods in mystical love-deaths – as a UNE music lecturer’s latest work shows.
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Paul Smith’s chamber opera How to Build a Billy is an oddball homage to IKEA, inspired by trying to save money by assembling furniture.
The opera is touring to Armidale with company Blush Opera for a one-off performance at the University of New England on Thursday, September 27.
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Billed as a “madcap contemporary opera”, the show follows a pair of siblings struggling to build an IKEA Billy bookcase to house their mother’s ever-growing book collection.
It is a far cry from such warhorses as Puccini’s Madama Butterfly or La bohème, but promises to be equally dramatic.
Dr Smith, a music lecturer at UNE, is keen to break down the barriers some audiences have regarding opera.
“We have gotten a bit stuck in the canon,” he said. “We know and love the classics, but there are characters missing from those worlds and I want the shows I write to have some connection to our day-to-day life.”
Sibling rivalry takes over and personalities clash while the siblings try to interpret instructions and fight about family politics.
In a daring move, the opera requires the singers to build the bookcase while performing the 25-minute show.
The show stars opera singers Jermaine Chau and Rebecca Moret. Ms Chau returns to Armidale after her acclaimed performance as Carmen with Opera New England in 2015, while local audiences may have seen Ms Moret perform with Voci Stupende.
Both performers have extensive experience performing with companies including Opera Australia and Pacific Opera, as well as numerous festival performances around Australia.
Dr Smith and Ms Chau are co-artistic directors of Blush, which they describe as “a boutique fun-loving opera company keen to prove that opera isn’t afraid of laughter, and can draw on the worlds of cabaret and comedy”.
As part of the tour, Blush Opera is collaborating with local musicians to present instrumental works by Smith as part of the performance.
Local collaborators include music lecturer Alana Blackburn, soprano Kylie Constantine, and pianist Robyn Bradley.
Be prepared for big voices and big banging.
How To Build A Billy is a free concert, September 27, 5:30pm, Madgwick Hall, University of New England.
