Cast Set For Opera Australia's CINDERELLA at Sydney Opera House

Opera Australia has announced a world-class cast of local talent will perform the Australian premiere season of French director Laurent Pelly’s magical production of Massenet’s Cinderella (Cendrillon) in the Joan Sutherland Theatre this summer.

A rarity in the opera canon, Cinderella features an almost all-female principal ensemble and for its Australian debut, four powerhouse Australian women will lead the cast.

In the title role, mezzo soprano Emily Edmonds will make her leading lady debut for OA. Europe-based Margaret Plummer will return from her established international career to play the ‘pants role’ of Prince Charming, sharing the role with brilliant OA principal singer Sian Sharp, while beloved soprano Emma Matthews will perform the Fairy Godmother.

Angela Hogan and Dominica Matthews will share the outrageous role of Cinderella’s wicked stepmother and Ashlyn Tymms will make her OA principal role debut pairing up with Jennifer Black then Jane Ede to add to the fun as the stepsisters.

Rounding out this showcase of homegrown talent, OA stalwarts Richard Anderson will play Cinderella’s father and Shane Lowrencev will perform as the King while Iain Henderson and Virgilio Marino will share the Dean of Faculty. The OA Chorus join to display their powerful voices and comic timing.

Sung in English but set in fairytale France by director Laurent Pelly, Cinderella will be a visual feast. Physical comedy will play out on Barbara de Limburg’s set, enveloped by pages of an old storybook coming to life, with costumes that nod to the story’s 18th century origins at comical proportions and notes of modern haute couture, while Duane Schuler’s lighting adds a magical glow.

OA will stage Pelly's abridged version, which debuted at New York’s Met in 2021. Echoing Massenet’s theatricality and playfulness, the 90 minutes of performance preserves the drama and narrative of the well-known classic, including Cinderella’s magical transformation.

Further appealing for newcomers, Cinderella will be sung in English, aligning with Massenet’s intentions for the Opéra-Comique which staged performances in the language of the people, with Kelley Rourke’s translation including an occasional French word to add Parisian flavour.

A treat for opera buffs, Massenet’s rich, transcendent score, written at the height of his composing career, includes traces of the Baroque to Wagner. Principal Conductor of Washington National Opera Evan Rogister will make his company debut to conduct the OA Orchestra, followed by OA’s accomplished Head of Music Tahu Matheson.

Cinderella will open on New Year’s Eve, with packages including options to add a pre-performance dinner and a midnight party to celebrate a most magical midnight. The season runs until the end of March in association with Sydney Festival.

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