Welcome to OperaMania. It's camp, it's dazzling, it's fun - and it's opera as you've never seen before.

Gold briefs and strings of pearls characterised the camp production

THE normal stuffy or elitist opera tags don't apply to OperaMania. This is opera that is camp, revealing lots of flesh and even full nudity.

Although perhaps a little too camp - and thereby restricting its appeal, surely - I found it refreshing to hear opera's most popular arias sung in an entirely different genre, with none of the formal dresses and suits that normally go with opera.

It was just the opposite - skimpy gold briefs, flashy feathers, fishnet stockings, saris and tackies. A sniff or two of cocaine, some break dancing and a Rocky Horror lookalike help it to create its own genre.

The arias worked in a new setting, as the voices were good, not distracting from all the happenings on stage - constantly changing backdrops, dramatic stage platforms dropping and rising and, of course, the music.

This includes all the opera classics - The Marriage of Figaro, Madam Butterfly, Aida, La Traviata, La Boheme and Carmen, and lots of the great Mozart pieces. All were given a new, imaginative interpretation by musical director Charl-Johan Lingenfelder.

The music works - and works well - especially when you consider that Meatloaf's I would do Anything for Love is inserted in the middle somewhere, and doesn't seem out of place.

Lingenfelder said he would retain the musical integrity of the arias, and he's been true to his word. He's given the songs a contemporary vibe, and guaranteed a larger audience for the show. For example, he has re-interpreted Madam Butterfly with Japanese instruments, and pulled it off.

The singers belt out the classic arias

Creator and director Andrew Botha calls it a "non-stop, music-video sort of show". He's been toying with the idea for a decade, he says, being a "passionate opera-maniac" himself.

"The greatest crime as far as I'm concerned is to be bored by opera ... This won't happen here!"

And the dramatic scene changes ensure you won't be bored - there's always something interesting coming down from the ceiling, or coming up from the basement.

The full depth and height of the stage is used, and despite the fact that there were only six singers and six dancers and hardly any props, the stage never looked empty. The huge sets were created with flat digital images, saving costs but also ensuring that they could be much larger, adding to the in-your-face feel of OperaMania.

The show manages to swing successfully between flashy, energetic numbers and moody, emotive moments. The only full nude scene is in Verdi's Bella figlia dell'amore, from the opera Rigoletto, in which one of the dancers appears as a nude corpse - it's done tastefully, and surely won't offend opera lovers.

OperaMania is a sensual show, with sexy black and gold costumes, and lots of touching. I felt, though, that there could have been less touching and more real dancing.

Botha is hoping this will be a world first and create a South African theatrical musical industry that will be exported overseas. Good luck - it's a worthwhile try.

OperaMania runs at the Nelson Mandela Theatre in the Civic Theatre complex until 4 May.

Related stories:

• Get your tickets for OperaMania now
• This week in Joburg
• Events calendar