Can You Hear Colour?

Can You Hear Colour?


“Blue-violet rocks, speckled with little grey cubes, highlighted by a bit of… gold, red, ruby, and stars of mauve, black and white.” Composer Olivier Messiaen (describing how a particular chord “looks” in his mind).

What if your paint box sang to you? To some, the key of C major is red, to others definitely white. It’s commonplace to talk about a “colourful” score, but for some it’s literally true. What if you were born with this strange gift? Would your paintings harmonize agreeably or turn into a scary brown discordant mess? And how would you feel if the colours on the notes of your xylophone were all “wrong”?

Patch Theatre Company‘s new piece, conceived by Naomi Edwards and composed by Alan John, is an exploration of what music is and an invitation to take time to listen, learn from those who inhabit unfamiliar worlds, and experience life in new ways. Join your kids on an imaginative adventure, a joyous and kaleidoscopic little “opera” featuring the splendid vocals of Michaela Burger (Rumplestiltskin) and Bethany Hill (Saul). You’ll come out humming the rainbow.


visit the Adelaide Festival here to learn more