Lovers, Losers and larrikins
An original story with opera classics
Join us for another fantastic performance from Rogue Opera, back in 2023 with a new production showcasing all the big issues in opera – doomed love, star-crossed lovers, the eternal battle between good and evil, loyalty and jealousy, power and revenge. But it’s not all about LOVE and LOSS – there’s plenty of FUN to be had along the way, embodied by opera’s best larrikins – the mavericks, jokers, comedians and sidekicks.
With spoken English dialogue linking amazing opera pieces, Rogue Opera’s four singers and pianist return to Fuller’s Opera in the Garden with another cleverly crafted adventure through the opera canon to delight newcomers and connoisseurs alike.
Opera is full of grand love stories, but it doesn’t always end well. Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? What about those larrikins, rakes and scoundrels who only care about themselves? When the dust settles, who will have found or died for love? Who are the real losers… and who will have the last laugh?
Meet our artists
HAZEL NEIGHBOUR
"The Soprano"
YULIYA TRISHKEU
"The Soprano"
CAROLYN CARRAGHER
"The Mezzo"
BRONWEN STEPHENS-HARDING
"The Mezzo"
DAVID POWTON
"The Tenor"
JAMES SCHOUTEN
"The Tenor"
NICK DWYER
"The Baritone"
ROBBIE HAYLETT
"The Baritone"
GUY MURGATROYD
"The Guy on the Piano"
And our Backstage Creatives and crew
we couldn't do it without them!
SOPHIE LEVI-ROOS
Assistant Director
PATRICIA OKENWA
Movement Director and Dramaturge
JAMES KORNEIJ
Sound Engineer
EDDIE LATTER
Tour Manager
For full Opera Drama, most of the songs are sung in the original language – if you'd like to know more, scroll down and click on the links below for translations and information about the original operas
- First Half -
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Capulet’s Ball
L’heure s’envole
Time flies by
The Capulets’ masked ball creates a heady atmosphere for delight and love.
Je veux vivre
Je veux vivre
I want to live
Before meeting Romeo, Juliette sings of her wish to live in the present and not think of the future.
Finch’han dal vino
Finch’han dal vino
As long as there’s wine
The famous “Champagne Aria” celebrates Don Giovanni’s hedonistic approach to life.
La ci darem
La ci darem la mano
There I’ll give you my hand
Don Giovanni charms Zerlina with his seductive promises of a shared future.
Non ti fidar
Non ti fidar
Don’t trust that faithless heart
Donna Elvira exposes Don Giovanni’s nefarious ways. He counters her accusations with feigned concern for her mental state.
Seguidilla
Seguidilla
By the ramparts of Seville
Carmen tempts José by dancing for him and singing of the delights to be found in her friend’s tavern on Seville’s ramparts.
La Fleur
La fleur
The flower
While he was in prison, José cherished the flower Carmen threw to him at their first encounter. He cannot free himself from his love for her.
Prokofiev – Montagues and Capulets
Montagues and Capulets
The tension between the feuding clans is evident in this piece from Prokoviev’s Romeo and Juliet.
Du sollst der Kaiser meiner Seele
Du sollst der Kaiser meiner Seele sein
You shall be the emperor of my soul
A delightful Viennese operetta song from a little-known work – Der Favorit – paints a delicious landscape of love.
- Second Half -
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Questa o quella
Questa o quella
This one or that one
The ultimate cad, the Duke of Mantua, finds all beautiful women to his liking…
Una voce poco fa
Una voce poco fa
The voice I just heard…
Rosina has found true love in the sound of Lindoro’s voice, and she is determined to make him hers.
Toreador’s Toast
Votre Toast
To your health!
Escamillo, revelling in his celebrity and the thrill of the bullfight, toasts the soldiers in the tavern as fellow fighters…
Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss
Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß
My lips kiss with such passion
Giuditta has inherited spirit and passion from her mother – a wild gypsy dancer – and she is well aware of her irresistible charms…
Dein ist mein ganzes Herz
Dein ist mein ganzes Herz
My whole heart is yours
Chinese prince, Sou-Chong, declares his love for his Austrian wife, Lisa.
Parigi o cara
Parigi o cara
We shall leave Paris
Alfredo and Violetta dream of a life together away from Paris, to restore Violetta to health.
Si tu m’aimes, Carmen
Si tu m’aimes, Carmen
If you love me, Carmen
A brief but hauntingly beautiful love duet sung by Carmen and Escamillo outside the bullring in Seville.
Porgi Amor
Porgi amor
Give me, O love
Once the young heroine in love with the mysterious Lindoro (the Count), the Countess is far from the happy ending of her first story (Rossini’s The Barber of Seville). She asks Love to give her some hope…
Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet before Dawn
Romeo and Juliet before dawn
Prokoviev’s evokes young love in this piece from his ballet, Romeo and Juliet.
Thank you for coming with us on this Rogue Opera journey through some of opera's best arias, duets and ensembles. If you haven't had a chance to see the fantastic operas these pieces are borrowed from, we hope your interest is piqued to explore further!
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