BARRIE KOSKY’S POPPEA

If opera, overt nudity and classics from the Col Porter oeuvre sounds like a musical muddled in the way expensive drinks are – that is to say, well, but surprisingly – you’ve not heard the least of it. Barrie Kosky’s Poppea, based on Monteverdi’s final operatic outing L’Incoronazione Di Poppea, has been described as, “group sex of the genres,” featuring Kosky himself on piano, the mercurial Melita Jurisic in the lead role, plus some Yiddish and tango flavours thrown on top for good measure. It rotates around the tale of Emperor Nero and his mistress Poppea, who, encouraged by the mischievous god Amor, deftly wriggles her way up the royal ladder, trailing heartbreak and political casualties in her wanton wake. Although a story drawing its inspiration from ancient times, it has some very modern resonances; the virtuous end up dead and the villainous rewarded. Just desserts? Not quite – but it promises to be a tasty experience all the same.

Aug 6-16, Playhouse, Sydney Opera House, $57-89, 9250 7777 or sydneyoperahouse.com