From stuffy to steamy: Is Opera Australia entering its raunchy new era?

Back at Sydney Opera House for the first time in eight years, soprano Nicole Car stars in Opera Australia’s bold new Rusalka, and makes the case for opera as the most intimate, immersive art form of all.

Nicole Car has performed in major opera houses around the world, from Covent Garden to Vienna, but this winter marks her first return to the stage at Sydney Opera House since 2018. Her comeback role? The title character in Rusalka, Antonín Dvořák’s dark and dreamy opera about a water nymph who gives up her voice for love.

But this Rusalka is radically different. Directed by Sarah Giles with a predominantly female creative team, it brings fresh perspective, feminist nuance and bold visual design to a 1901 classic. For Car, it’s the emotional and musical richness of the work, and what it offers modern audiences, that makes it so urgent. And the perfect introduction for any newcomers.

Why Rusalka may be the opera to change your mind

If you’re imagining stiff costumes, outdated stories and inaccessible music, Car urges you to think again. “It’s The Little Mermaid with edge,” she laughs. “It’s angsty, it’s magical, it’s romantic and it’s dark.”

At its core, Rusalka is a coming-of-age tale: a young woman navigating love, loss, transformation and identity.

“It’s like putting on Twilight,” Car jokes. “You’ve got magic and otherworldly things that spark the imagination, but at the heart of it is a teenage love story. She’s discovering herself, her sexuality, her mortality — all the things that resonate with young audiences.”

Opera Australia is determined to make opera more accessible for younger generations. So much so, under 35s can get 15% off tickets for that first taste of the art.

A night at the opera is a chance to put your phone down, too, says Nicole.

Nowadays, we’re looking for connection. According to Eventbrite, most of us are looking for transformative experiences (65%) that help us reset or re-energise (48%). In the era of three-second attention spans and endless swiping and scrolling, we crave connection. Opportunities for closeness. Intimacy.

“Is there anything more intimate than opera?” asks Nicole. “An unamplified voice that is singing to — I mean, obviously the hall is big, but singing to you. If it’s done well, you, the vessel on stage, can connect individually with every single person in that audience and in different ways too.”

It’s almost like being in a floating tank. For the first 10 minutes you’re like, why am I here? What am I doing? And then if you let yourself relax into it, you can find this kind of meditative state somehow. Opera’s kind of the same. There’s a lot coming at you in the beginning — you’ve got the orchestra, you’ve got singers, you’ve got sets and staging, but then you get to the crux of it and something kind of opens up. If you can open yourself to it.

If there’s ever a moment to open opera up to you, it’ll be during Song to the Moon. One of the most iconic soprano solos in the repertoire, it offers five minutes of pure, haunting beauty that’ll wash over you and leave you awe-struck, from the first harp chord.

Opera in the age of quick-wins

How do you sell three-hour operas to a generation raised on 15-second clips, though? For Car, it’s not about competing with the scroll, it’s about offering something totally different.

The first thing that caught my eye when Rusalka landed in my inbox was the striking imagery being used.

Georges Antoni is the man responsible. The Australian fashion photographer has published in Harpers Bazaar, Vogue and Vanity Fair. Editorial fashion photography is arguably some of the most eye-catching out there, and his talents are clear.

Along with Carmen and The Marriage of Figaro, Opera Australia and Georges have created a trio of striking images and it’s a distinctly modern look, compared to usual. Opera is often regarded a highbrow, impenetrable art form (not too dissimilar to high fashion, actually), but Opera Australia is working to prove those prejudices wrong.

Love stories, intimate live music performances and a chance to turn off your phone: what more could you want? And if these images are enough to stop the scroll and lure you through the door, then you’ll soon learn why you shouldn’t be so quick to overlook opera.

Coming full circle

Having spent the past few years in Europe and beyond, travelling with husband and baritone Étienne Dupuis and their eight-year-old son, Car says returning to the Opera House feels like a homecoming. “This is where I found my voice. It’s where it all started,” she says, reflecting on her main-stage debut as Micaëla in Carmen at just 24. “It feels like everything has come full circle.”

She’s excited by the evolution of Opera Australia’s programming, which is starting to embrace more diverse and lesser-known repertoire. “Australian audiences are ready for more. They want to be challenged. Productions like Rusalka offer something different, something emotionally and musically rich that still feels accessible.”

“Australian audiences aren’t given enough credit in terms of what people are capable of taking in and will enjoy watching. And so I love pushing the boundaries. Like, it’s amazing that they’re doing a new Carmen this year, but it’s pretty standard repertoire. So to bring in Rusalka is really special. They’re bringing a repertoire that people wouldn’t necessarily know, and giving them a different experience outside of the Traviatas and the Carmens and the Giovannis, you know. International audiences, especially in repertory houses, have external repertoires coming in all the time and I think it’s really nice for Australian audiences to have that.”

Car also appreciates the little things about being home. “I always visit the Opera House, even when I’m not performing. I love a stroll through Newtown, the Bondi to Coogee walk and I never miss grabbing a bagel from Lox in a Box or putting my feet in the sand. We don’t get sandy beaches in Europe. It’s really nice to just put your toes in there. I’ve already been three times since we arrived [from Paris] last week.”

A life in balance

It’s not just time at the beach that keeps Nicole grounded; she credits motherhood with deepening her artistry, bringing emotional presence and perspective to her work.

“My son couldn’t care less how well I sang,” she laughs. “That kind of perspective is a gift. It keeps me anchored, and honestly, it makes the performances more truthful.”

As her career continues to soar — with Rusalka seasons ahead in Vienna and Paris, plus upcoming roles in La Bohème and Il Trittico — Car remains committed to telling powerful stories through music. Stories that, like Rusalka, speak to something universal.

“Opera has this reputation for being inaccessible,” she says. “But really, it’s about connection. If someone walks away from a performance and feels something, whether joy, heartbreak or curiosity, that’s the whole point.”

Rusalka at Sydney Opera House

When: Saturday, July 19 until Monday, August 11, 2025.
Where: Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point NSW 2000.
Price: $49 to $389 per person. Sign up for Under 35s to save 15% on tickets.

Find out more and book tickets at sydneyoperahouse.com

FAQs

What is Rusalka about?

Inspired by the story of The Little Mermaid, Rusalka follows a water nymph who gives up her voice to become human and pursue love, only to discover that the worlds of land and sea may never fully align. It’s a tale of sacrifice, transformation and tragic romance.

I’ve never been to the opera before – should I start with Rusalka?

Great choice! The music is lush and accessible, the visuals are striking and the story taps into themes modern audiences already know from fairytales to fantasy.

What’s the most famous aria in Rusalka?

Song to the Moon is the opera’s most iconic moment – an ethereal soprano solo that’s regularly performed in concerts and recitals worldwide.

How long is the performance?

Approximately 3 hours with intermissions. Enough time to immerse yourself without feeling overwhelmed.

What should I wear to the opera?

There’s no dress code – come as you are. While some people dress up for the occasion, comfort is just as welcome.