Hamlet
20 July – 9 August 2024
In the Joan Sutherland Theatre
Opera
One of the greatest plays ever written is now a dazzling new opera.
Date | Time |
Saturday 20 July 2024 | 7:00pm |
Wednesday 24 July 2024 | 7:00pm |
Saturday 27 July 2024 | 12:00pm |
Tuesday 30 July 2024 | 7:00pm |
Friday 2 August 2024 | 7:00pm |
Monday 5 August 2024 | 7:00pm |
Friday 9 August 2024 | 7:00pm |
Sunday to Thursday Performances
Standard Adults aged 18+ | Price |
Premium | $349 |
A Reserve | $299 |
B Reserve | $249 |
C Reserve | $185 |
D Reserve | $115 |
E Reserve | $79 |
F Reserve | $49 |
Concession Full-time Aust Student / Pensioner card holders (Aust. only) | Price |
Premium | $314 |
A Reserve | $269 |
B Reserve | $224 |
C Reserve | $166 |
D Reserve | $103 |
E Reserve | $71 |
F Reserve | $49 |
Children Aged 17 and under | Price |
Premium | $314 |
A Reserve | $149 |
B Reserve | $124 |
C Reserve | $92 |
D Reserve | $57 |
E Reserve | $39 |
F Reserve | $49 |
Groups 8+ To make a group purchase please call +61 2 9250 7700 | Price |
Premium | $296 |
A Reserve | $254 |
B Reserve | $211 |
C Reserve | $157 |
D Reserve | $97 |
E Reserve | $67 |
F Reserve | $49 |
Saturday Matinee & Friday Performances
Standard Adults aged 18+ | Price |
Premium | $379 |
A Reserve | $329 |
B Reserve | $275 |
C Reserve | $210 |
D Reserve | $135 |
E Reserve | $109 |
F Reserve | $49 |
Concession Full-time Aust Student / Pensioner card holders (Aust. only) | Price |
Premium | $341 |
A Reserve | $296 |
B Reserve | $247 |
C Reserve | $189 |
D Reserve | $121 |
E Reserve | $98 |
F Reserve | $49 |
Children Aged 17 and under | Price |
Premium | $341 |
A Reserve | $164 |
B Reserve | $137 |
C Reserve | $105 |
D Reserve | $67 |
E Reserve | $54 |
F Reserve | $49 |
Groups 8+ To make a group purchase please call +61 2 9250 7700 | Price |
Premium | $322 |
A Reserve | $279 |
B Reserve | $223 |
C Reserve | $178 |
D Reserve | $114 |
E Reserve | $92 |
F Reserve | $49 |
Saturday Evening Performances
Standard | Price |
---|---|
Premium | $379 |
A Reserve | $329 |
B Reserve | $275 |
C Reserve | $210 |
D Reserve | $135 |
E Reserve | $109 |
F Reserve | $49 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection. Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times
The authorised agencies for this event are Sydney Opera House, Opera Australia, Today Tix and Ticketmaster. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the FAQ below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
Tuesday 28 November 2023
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
Wednesday 29 November 2023
General Public tickets on-sale
Tuesday 5 December 2023
Audio loop available
Wheelchair accessible
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations available.
To book accessible seating contact Box Office via email or telephone on:
+61 2 9250 7777 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House.
In English
Language
Performed in English with surtitles.
Run time
This performance will run for 3 hours and 25 minutes, including one interval.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Useful information:
What a piece of work is a man!
Shakespeare’s searing portrait of a prince in crisis intimidated nearly all of history’s greatest opera composers. Not so for Australian composer Brett Dean, who saw in Hamlet’s splintering sanity a perfect match for his evocative music.
Now is your chance to see one of the most successful operas ever composed by an Australian. Commissioned and premiered by Glyndebourne, and performed at the Metropolitan Opera of New York and the Adelaide Festival to great acclaim, Hamlet finally gets its Sydney Opera House debut.
Dean composed an expansive sound world, with a massive orchestra and chorus, at times positioned around the theatre. The effect is dramatic and luxurious, a wall of voices pressing in on Hamlet’s troubled mind. Electronics create musical ghosts. Librettist Matthew Jocelyn carves up the text so the familiar pops up in unexpected places.
One of Australia’s great Shakespearean directors, Neil Armfield created this “viscerally physical” (Sydney Morning Herald) production for Glyndebourne, collaborating with Australian designers Ralph Myers and Alice Babidge to produce a slick royal court with darkness at its heart.
The demanding title role needs an extraordinary performer: we’re excited to bring Allan Clayton to make his Sydney Opera House debut. His performance as Hamlet is “tremendous” (The Guardian), “mesmerising and monumental” (The Conversation). Lorina Gore reprises her “spellbinding” Helpmann Award-winning performance as Ophelia alongside an outstanding cast. Contemporary opera specialist Tim Anderson conducts.
Presented by Opera Australia
Artist information
Composer
Brett Dean
Libretto
Matthew Jocelyn
Conductor
Tim Anderson
Director
Neil Armfield
Set Designer
Ralph Myers
Costume Designer
Alice Babidge
Lighting Designer
Jon Clark
Sound Designer
Bob Scott
Movement Director
Denni Sayers
Hamlet
Allan Clayton
Ophelia
Lorina Gore
Claudius
Rod Gilfry
Laertes
Nicholas Jones
Polonius
Kanen Breen
Horatio
Samuel Dundas
Opera Australia Orchestra
Opera Australia Chorus
This season of Hamlet is dedicated to Jacqueline Dark (1968-2023). Jacqui was due to perform the role of Gertrude in this production before her passing.
Season 2024
Opera Australia
More stories. More sensational music. More of what makes opera magical. The excitement begins long before the first note. The date in your calendar. The glitter of the harbour. The magnificent sails. And then, the singing: unamplified, unfiltered, unbelievable.
Plan your visit
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
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