The Turk in Italy

Simon Phillips’ pastel-hued production of Rossini’s lesser-known comic opera was a hit when it premiered in 2014, and now it’s back to bring a blast of sunshine to the impossibly cold days. With a distinctly Australian libretto (yes, the term “root rat” appears) and a deliciously retro set and costumes by Gabriela Tylesova, the story centres on the capricious young woman Fiorilla, who is dazzled by the arrival of a mysterious foreign visitor to her sleepy seaside town - much to the dismay of her husband and her lover. Rising soprano Stacey Alleaume, recently seen in OA’s The Merry Widow, plays Fiorilla, with Italian bass-baritone Paolo Bordogna as the Turk.