Writer: Jess McNulty

Composer: Goi Ywei Chern

Director: Mayra Stergiou

Conductor: Brian Choi

This semi-staged, student-led presentation of the new, one-act opera by Goi Ywei Chern and Jess McNulty tells the story of a young Medusa, focusing on the events that led her to become the mythical legend we all know her as.

The opera’s orchestration is both evocative and charming. Goi Ywei Chern successfully captures the naivety of the young Medusa, the playful nature of the sea and the weight of the emotional moments in the story. The orchestra is skillfully led by conductor Brian Choi, who brings out a dynamism in his players and the score.
Unfortunately, the singers do not appear secure in the music, so they are unable to perform to their full capacity.

This, combined with the placement of the instrumentalists down the front of the stage, means the sound balance is off and the voices are unable to carry clearly. One performer who is able to carry the music and story is Eva Stone-Barney, who plays Medusa after she has been cursed by Athena. Stone-Bartley has a shining voice matched by confidence in the material and an engaging presence.

Mayra Stergiou’s direction finds some impactful abstract moments and a charming, playful energy amidst the story’s heaviness. There is some delightful puppetry work which could be featured even more. Dancer Depi Gorgogianni is utilised throughout, bringing an engaging physical element to the production.

The semi-staged form means that the important physical storytelling moments are not able to be fully realised, and thus some emotional peaks are missed. There is a simple but effective set design by Bautista Araya which evokes scenes of the sea.

The opera explores themes of assault and blame from an interesting perspective, and with further development, the creators’ interpretation of this famous myth could be extremely impactful. There is opportunity for more exploration of the characters’ inner worlds and for subtext to be developed in the libretto.

Presented by current and past Guildhall students, this presentation shows a lot of potential.

Reviewed on 11 July 2025