Opera for the Dead, an ambitious project by Mindy Meng Wang and Monica Lim, made a breakout appearance at Asia TOPA 2025, setting a new precedent in cyber-opera and the potential of multimedia, interactive performance.
Deeply engrossing and poetically moving, Opera for the Dead kept audiences on their feet, cleverly encouraged with the use of movable stages and dynamic visual elements. The story loosely followed the death of a father and a series of traditional poems reflecting on the death of a close one.
Having worked on projects such as Dark Mofo’s Night Mass and The Seen and Unseen at Asia TOPA 2020, Jenny Hector’s set and lighting design imbued the theatre with ominous energy, capturing both the drama of Chinese opera and the spirit of electronic music. Opera for the Dead‘s projection mapping worked harmoniously with the set, complemented by bespoke animations of rotating Chinese totems created by Rel Pham on each display screen.
The outstanding range of YuTien Lin’s vocals was hypnotic, with plenty of solo moments as well as being joined by the powerful choir of the entire cast, including Meng (guzheng), Lim (electronics), cellist Nils Hobiger and percussionist Alexander Meagher. At one point Lin was adorned in gradient lighting of turquoise, blue and purple, appearing like a digital butterfly, a symbol of death and the fragility of life.
At the heart of Opera for the Dead is a longing for the deceased, full of mourning and regret, but also the hope to reunite through dreams and to pass on blessings to the living. This tension, or perhaps better phrased as a dichotomy, is at play in many Chinese rituals. The performance successfully translated this cultural encounter into a contemporary language, making sure to provide multiple access points to engage with a universal moment of grief.
Read: Mixed-reality concert review: KAGAMI, Asia TOPA 2025
Looking beyond Asia TOPA, Opera for the Dead opens the gateway for the cyber-opera genre, one I hope to see grow and expand. Right now, it deserves the world stage, to entrance audiences in the Asia Pacific and beyond.
Opera for the Dead
Presented by Asia TOPA and Arts Centre Melbourne
Creative Concept and Composition: Monica Lim and Mindy Meng Wang
Dramaturg: Ophelia Huang
Animation Artist: Rel Pham
Set and Lighting Design: Jenny Hector
Choreographer: Carol Brown
Guzheng: Mindy Meng Wang
Electronics: Monica Lim
Vocals: YuTien Lin
Percussion: Alexander Meagher
Cello: Nils Hobiger
Costumes: Leonas Panjaitan
Sound and Video System Design: Nick Roux
Performers: Wendy Feng and Ong Wen Chen
Stage Manager: Micah Patston
Opera for the Dead was performed from 21-23 February at Space 28, University of Melbourne Southbank Campus, as part of Asia TOPA 2025.
