If 2025 proved anything, it’s that interest in opera in Australia is flourishing at its the genre’s eclectic edges.

Limelight’s 10 most-read opera reviews of the year reveal a public captivated as much by irreverent contemporary works as by classical fairy tales, 19th century romanticism and festival blockbusters. From glitter-soaked satire to grand opera tragedies, audiences leaned into both escapism and provocation – often in the same month.

Christopher Tonkin and Kanen Breen in Siegfried and Roy. Photo © Neil Bennett

1. Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera – Opera Australia & Sydney Festival

Nothing outranked the year’s most talked-about operatic curiosity: a satirical, unauthorised retelling of the world-famous illusionists’ tumultuous career. Part camp fantasia, part cultural critique, this Wagner-lite music drama managed to deliver a cautionary tale about hubris and human folly amid the glitz and glamour.

Reviewer Jansson J Antmann heaped praise on the lead performers:  “As Siegfried, Christopher Tonkin makes light work of a beautiful aria about Roy’s ‘sleight of heart’ … Kanen Breen brings the house down with Roy’s showstopping anthem to Sin City, his nod to Elvis a reminder of the price to be paid for...