LOVE BURNS

Published by G. Schirmer, Australia By kind permission of the Wise Music Group

A darkly funny chamber opera by Graeme Koehne with libretto by Louis Nowra.

Love Burns delivers mischievous comedy with masterful musicality.

Jack is a gigolo, a con and a ladies’ man, feigning love to steal money from lonely widows.

Angela, initially one of his victims, pairs up and assists him in his deception. She loves the con but not the ladies and when jealousy sets in, she persuades Jack to kill his victims.

One murders for love, one for money. Will they get away with it, or will the honeymoon finally be over?

Based on the true crime story of the 1940s American serial killer couple the Honeymoon Killers, Love Burns takes the premise and gives it a distinctly Aussie treatment.

For anyone looking for a dash of true crime with their opera this one is for you. After thrilling audiences in Adelaide, State Opera South Australia brings Love Burns to audiences around the country.

“an ingenious stand-alone production … plenty of sardonic and black humour … told with understated humour and brio; never does the score or plot lag. Yet another successful revival, on to the next, please.”

Limelight

“great fun and definitely tongue-in-cheek.”