Why Lucia Di Lamermoor by Opera Australia is the crazy chick you can’t help but love

One of the most famous arias in the performance of Lucia Di Lamermoor was made huge thanks to its cameo in the 1997 smash hit The Fifth Element starring Bruce Willis where the blue alien gave her rendition. It was as poignant a moment in the movie as it is the on-stage production by Opera Australia in the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera House in 2018, only brought to life by the inimitable soprano-cum-menu’s namesake, Australian singer Jessica Pratt. The story is that of a woman, so torn in love it drives her mad, leading to a demise that is as upsetting as it is unwarranted, highlighting the futility of what is considered ‘state of mind’ and the snarky ridiculousness of what we consider to be ‘love’. Despite the emotional toll it no doubt takes to play the part of the fragile and quick-to-fall Lucia, Jessica Pratt loves playing the role in the production, on at the Sydney Opera House until 27 July. “The music is so descriptive that it really guides my emotions throughout the role, the tough part is the morning afterward when the adrenaline has left my body and I feel the pain of being thrown on the floor continuously the night before and all the tension I hold in my body during the performance,” said Jessica. She takes it on well, working within the realms of the way Donizetti planned it all, with a uniquely contemporary take all Opera Australia’s own, that really let her talents shine. “I find that… Read More