The First Murder Tickets – Season Ended

This show has now finished

The First Murder played Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney until 31 May 2026 and is no longer on sale. Discover similar shows on sale now, or subscribe and we'll tell you about future seasons and ticket offers.

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About The First Murder

Pinchgut Opera presents a tender and deeply human retelling of Cain and Abel, where compassion and forgiveness can be found, even in the darkest of days.

The First Murder (Il primo omicidio) looks beyond one of humanity’s oldest myths to what follows — as innocence gives way to experience and a new emotional world begins to unfold.

Composed in 1707, Scarlatti’s extraordinary score is luminous, searching and profoundly expressive — a meditation on what it means to feel, to grow, and to become human.

In this evocative staging, director Dean Bryant, with designers Jeremy Allen and Melanie Liertz, places the story within a distinctly Australian coastal landscape; a world of familiarity and quiet tension, where something deeper begins to stir.

An exceptional cast, including Sara Macliver, Ashlyn Tymms, Madison Nonoa, Kyle Stegall, Stephanie Dillon and Taryn Fiebig Scholar Freddy Shaw, is joined by the Orchestra of the Antipodes on period instruments, under Erin Helyard.

Together, they bring this remarkable work to life with clarity, beauty and emotional power.

"This is a piece that doesn’t sit on the surface — it emerges from something deeply felt, the music is refined and beautifully controlled, alive with tension, tenderness, and real psychological force.”

Erin Helyard, Artistic Director and Conductor