Tickets go on sale today for two extraordinary works from two of the world’s most acclaimed theatre directors, Romeo Castellucci’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Barrie Kosky’s K., the first Adelaide Festival exclusives announced for 2027.
With previous Festival productions Go Down Moses (2016) and Mozart’s Requiem (2020) wowing audiences, Romeo Castellucci’s breathtaking production of Béla Bartók’s operatic masterpiece, Bluebeard’s Castle, transcends a naturalistic setting with a spectacular water-filled stage lit by flames.
Castellucci places the audience in the viewpoint of Judith, newlywed to Duke Bluebeard and driven to open the seven forbidden locked doors of their castle. Each new chamber in turn brings an eruption of fire that illuminates both Bluebeard’s secrets and the unfolding layers of Judith’s psyche.
Lauded for its poetic brilliance after premiering at Salzburg Festival in 2022, this production illuminates why Bluebeard’s Castle is a 20th century operatic cornerstone; from the awe of its orchestration to the power of its vocal writing.
Barrie Kosky continues his career-long association with Adelaide Festival following a string of spectacular operas including Saul (2017), The Magic Flute (2019), The Golden Cockerel (2022) and The Threepenny Opera (2024).
K. is his theatrical reimagining of Franz Kafka’s famous novel The Trial, a whirlwind of theatre, dance, song and vaudeville delivered by the extraordinary actors of the Berliner Ensemble and a live band.
“Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K, he knew he had done nothing wrong but, one morning he was arrested”…so begins The Trial; a comic yet terrifying tale of Josef K’s blind tumble through totalitarian bureaucracy and an absurd, labyrinthine system of laws that are nearly impossible to navigate.
Fuelled by Kafka’s exploration of Yiddish theatre and his own Jewishness, Kosky’s chaotically inventive spectacle features German star Kathrin Wehlisch in the title role. Wehlisch’s masterclass in comedy and vaudeville will be the talk of the Festival.
Bluebeard’s Castle will be performed at the Festival Theatre from 26 February – 2 March 2027.
- will be performed at Her Majesty’s Theatre from 4 – 7 March 2027.
Adelaide Festival will launch its full program on Tuesday 27 October and the Festival will run from 26 February – 14 March 2027.
TICKETS – On sale to the general public from 10am ACST on Wednesday 26 August.
