If Alice can take the risk and follow a talking rabbit down a hole, why not take the leap into the world of family opera enhanced by the beauty of the great outdoors? And if family is lacking, let’s call it a picnic-with-a-friend opera with no kids necessary. Melbourne-based Australian Contemporary Opera Co. or ACOCo. (formerly Gertrude Opera) has confidently emerged from the ravages of the ongoing pandemic with an endearing Australian premiere based on a childhood classic – just the magic needed.

Originally commissioned for London’s Opera Holland Park in 2012, and told with a twist on Lewis Carroll’s original story, composer Will Todd and librettist Maggie Gottlieb’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a fabulously jaunty and engaging work that serves the expected helpings of zaniness while a young, empowered Alice comes to rescue the characters she encounters along the way.

Grace Gallur and Jerzy Kozlowski in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Australian Contemporary Opera Co. Photo © Sarah Jane Clarke

Artistic Director Linda Thompson has dreamed of presenting this 75-minute work – and you can see why. Opening on Sunday at the divinely picturesque Cruden Farm...