According to The Financial Review, the artistic director of Opera Australia quit the august arts body because of this production of Sunset Boulevard.

And after attending the opening night in Sydney, we can see why it has proved to be controversial.

The star, who plays ageing silent movie icon Norma Desmond, is Sarah Brightman, a British singer perhaps most famous for her lead role in Phantom of the Opera and an amazing duet with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Time to Say Goodbye. It sold 12 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.

She has come in for strident criticism as someone somewhat out of place in this extraordinary but difficult musical.

The story behind Sunset Boulevard is all about faded glory. Wannabe stars and big names looking to resurrect their careers. The battle between Hollywood’s commercial realities and art.

Norma Desmond, a megastar of the black-and-white silent movies era so well known that an Arab Shiek hanged himself with a pair of her stockings, now lives in a Hollywood mansion and dreams of a comeback. A return, as she calls it.

“I’m big – it’s the movies that got smaller,” she says of her decline. But Hollywood’s happy endings are reserved for the silver screen.

Norma finds a young but desperate writer to work on her comeback script, and falls in love with him. This can only end in tragedy. And it does.

This production, based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s (Sarah Brightman’s ex) score with wonderfully lavish sets and a truly excellent cast, certainly lives up to that.

But sadly, Brightman just isn’t made for the role of an American actress in decline. Her voice is more La Scala than Broadway, and her Norma, while dramatic, is just not credible.

This musical is set in Hollywood’s heyday in the late forties, when everyone promised “let’s do lunch” but never delivered. The young and energetic cast, let by Australian Tim Draxl as Joe Gillis, manage to convince as young Americans on the make. This only serves to highlight Brightman’s Britishness.

What’s the experience

Seeing anything at the Sydney Opera House is a great experience. The ambience, the architecture and the views make it a world class venue.

This new production features stunning sets and costumes. The score features the hits ‘With One Look’, ‘The Perfect Year’, and ‘As If We Never Said Goodbye’. But somehow there is no Phantom of the Opera memorable song. This musical never reaches a climax and it is not one of Lloyd Webber’s best.

It’s based on a Billy Wilder film featuring Gloria Swanson in a truly memorable performance that is part tragedy and part horror.

Brightman, who has not performed in the theatre for almost three decades, has a lot to live up to.

Should you see it?

If you are on a tight schedule and want to see a performance at the Sydney Opera House – and who doesn’t? – then yes. But you can do better at this brilliant venue, and if you have time there is so much more to enjoy.

Tickets: sydneyoperahouse.com

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7 experiences near the Sydney Opera House

Soak up Sydney Harbour on a sunrise kayak tour

There’s a certain kind of magic in Sydney Harbour you can only find before the city wakes up. In the quiet before the ferries start, paddle out on a serene sunrise kayak tour with Sydney Harbour Kayaks. Starting from Darling Harbour, you’ll glide across crystal-clear waters to the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Luna Park for a photo op, before exploring several of the surrounding bays. As the sun rises, watch the sky above the city skyline turn from lilac to peachy gold, before paddling back.

Go behind the sails of the Sydney Opera House

Feel your jaw drop as you approach the distinctive white ‘shells’ of the Sydney Opera House and take in the iconic building’s striking location beside the deep-blue waters of the harbour. Ascend the banked front stairs — used as a stage for artists over the years — and step inside to discover the world’s busiest performing arts centres, hosting shows ranging from opera and ballet to comedy and rock. Explore the hidden side of the working venue on an early-morning backstage tour, while away the late afternoon sipping cocktails and watching the sun light up the Sydney Harbour Bridge at Opera Bar, or savour fine dining with incredible views at Sydney Opera House’s Bennelong restaurant.

Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge with an Indigenous storyteller

An ascent up the Sydney Harbour Bridge offers jaw-dropping views of the city and the sea. But on the BridgeClimb‘s Burrawa Aboriginal Climb Experience, you’ll see Sydney Harbour through the lens of thousands of years of Aboriginal history. Led by an Indigenous guide, you’ll climb the bridge’s summit and look down on the shores of Gadigal land. Learn the origins of the harbour’s familiar place names, from Bennelong Point to Barangaroo, and gain a deeper perspective of this beautiful city and its Aboriginal history.

Discover paranormal activity at Cockatoo Island

Did you hear something? It could be one of Cockatoo Island’s shady former residents, who have been known to haunt the historic island from time to time. Feel your spine tingle as you join a ghost tour of this former convict prison island after dark. You’ll have your own K-II EMF reader to detect any ghostly behaviour as you wander the abandoned buildings and learn the hair-raising true stories of the island, from grisly murders to botched prison escapes and gang violence. Are you having too much fun to leave? Book into the island’s waterfront camping to spend a night under the stars in the heart of the world’s prettiest harbour.

Cruise to Taronga Zoo (and sleep among the animals)

Thrill at the sight of Australia’s unique native wildlife while taking in the million-dollar views over Sydney Harbour to the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge at Taronga Zoo Sydney. Enjoy a mini harbour cruise on the 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay to the wharf below the hillside zoo. Feel a sense of amazement as you encounter iconic native animals such as koalas and kangaroos alongside creatures from around the world — the zoo is home to more than 5,000 animals from around 350 species. Immerse in the animal world overnight at Taronga’s luxurious Wildlife Retreat or drift off to sleep in a safari-style tent on a Roar and Snore experience.

Learn about bush tucker at the Royal Botanic Garden

Feel yourself unwind as you reconnect with nature’s astonishing diversity while strolling through the harbourside Royal Botanic Garden, right next to the Sydney Opera House. Lose yourself for a moment in the oldest botanic garden in Australia, a haven for more than 27,000 plants from around the world, including a significant section dedicated to Australian natives. Discover new flavours on an Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour, before savouring modern Asian cuisine at celebrity chef Luke Nguyen’s Botanic House restaurant.

Lace-up your shoes to explore the stunning coastline

Stir your senses as well as your heart rate as you follow one of Sydney’s spectacular coastal walks, enjoying uninterrupted ocean and harbour views as you walk from rugged headlands to secluded bays and beaches. Follow delightful trails through national parkland and along clifftops all across the city. Join local joggers on the 6km Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, snaking from the Bondi Icebergs ocean pool to the golden shores of Coogee in the eastern suburbs. Closer to the city, plunge into the netted harbour pool at Vaucluse’s Nielsen Park for a refreshing swim after tackling the Hermitage Foreshore Track, a hidden gem offering up views of Shark Island and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Or weave through rainforest and past lighthouses with Sydney Harbour views on the 10km Spit Bridge to Manly Walk on the North Shore.