Opera Australia will present Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour with Australian soprano Amy Manford cast as Christine Daaé, alongside Jake Lyle in the title role and Jarrod Draper as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. The production will play a limited season on Sydney Harbour as part of Opera Australia’s Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour series.
Manford, who has previously performed Christine Daaé in both the recent Australian tour and the West End production in London, returns to the role for the harbour staging. Lyle will make his musical theatre debut as The Phantom. A 22-year-old from Gladstone, Queensland, he is currently studying Classical Voice at the Queensland Conservatorium and is an Emerging Artist in Residence with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Draper, a Wiradjuri man from Orange, New South Wales, completes the leading trio as Raoul. His previous credits include Moulin Rouge, Sunset Boulevard, and Cats, and he was the first Indigenous man to graduate from WAAPA’s Musical Theatre program.
Music Supervisor Guy Simpson said the casting process led to the discovery of Lyle during ensemble auditions, noting that the creative team subsequently worked through much of the role with him before confirming the casting. Simpson also said he was pleased to reunite with Manford and to work with Draper, whose performance in Sunset Boulevard he cited as particularly impressive.
The production will be directed by Simon Phillips, with set and costume design by Gabriela Tylesova and choreography by associate director Simone Sault. The staging marks the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour debut for all three lead performers and will be presented on the floating outdoor stage at Mrs Macquaries Point, with views of Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Opera House.
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is supported by the NSW Government through Destination NSW, with the International Foundation for Arts and Culture as Naming Rights Partner, and HSBC as Opera Australia’s Principal Partner.
Bookings are available through Opera Australia by phone at +61 2 9318 8200.
