In my research into the history of this remarkable operetta I was particularly struck by the words of Félix Clément and Pierre Larousse in their Dictionnaire des Opéras (1881), who dismissed this piece as “a coarse and grotesque parody” filled with “vulgar and indecent scenes” that “give off an unhealthy smell.” Far from being an insult, I found in those words a provocation; a reminder that opera has not always lived in the rarefied air of sacred tradition, but has also thrived on irreverence, mischief, and a deliciously subversive sense of fun. That spirit of unruly play, often buried beneath centuries of reverence, is what we have sought to excavate and celebrate in this production.

In collaboration with designers Alice Vance (sets), Issac Valentine (costume), and Harry Smyth (lighting), and my long time collaborator Shannon Burns (movement direction) we turned to the Golden Age of the Hollywood Musical as our touchstone, a world of impossible glamour and unapologetic theatricality. Within this stylised, larger-than-life universe, gods and mortals are freed to run riot, to dance with abandon, and to embrace their demons in spectacular fashion. The heightened world of MGM soundstages and Busby Berkeley dreamscapes provides both the gloss and the grit, a playground where parody and grandeur, vulgarity and beauty, can coexist.

Equally thrilling has been the chance to work alongside the extraordinary talent at NIDA and the Sydney Conservatorium. Collaborating with such a vibrant young company brings a vitality, and daring that reinvigorates the work from the inside out. Opera is often seen as the realm of the museum piece, preserved behind glass. This production seeks to shatter that glass, reminding us that opera can be outrageous, excessive, and gloriously alive – especially when in the hands of the next generation of opera and theatre makers.