Dangerous ideas abound in Peter Carey's landmark first novel, Bliss. Is this reality or some kind of hilarious hell? What is true love? And why has an elephant sat on my car? The lights go up on the world premiere of Bliss, a new Australian opera by Brett Dean and Amanda Holden.

Welcome back to the excesses of the 80s, where sex and drugs beat rock-n-roll. This much-anticipated work stars the electrifying Peter Coleman-Wright as Harry Joy, the blithe and savvy advertising executive who, after a close encounter with death, finds his world is not what it was. The combination of director Neil Armfield, composer Brett Dean, librettist Amanda Holden, conductor Elgar Howarth, along with the brightest stars of Australian theatre design and choreography, will ignite the stage in a blaze of words, music and ideas.