Airdate: ABC2 Live Presents Bliss

From today ABC has the first in a series of looks at Bliss, the book by Peter Carey which has become both a film and an opera: following a four-minute death from a heart attack, Harry Joy returns to life finding the certainties of his former existence have entirely vanished.

Tonight at 10:05pm, Jennifer Byrne and a panel of experts explored the adaptation of Bliss the book to Bliss the film with Jennifer Byrne Presents: Books to Film on ABC1 (repeated on ABC2 on Sunday 14 March at 6.30pm).

At 8:30pm Saturday March 12th ABC2 David Stratton hosts Bliss: The Director’s Cut – the debut film of celebrated director Ray Lawrence (Lantana, Jindabyne). Stratton speaks exclusively to Lawrence about Bliss, which in 1985 won three AFI Awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. It features Barry Otto, Lynette Curran, Jeff Truman, Gia Carides and Miles Buchanan.

Next Tuesday at 10:05pm, ABC1 screens Artscape: Making Opera Bliss, as Opera Australia prepares to debut its world premiere opera adaptation (repeated on ABC2 Sunday 21st March at 6.30pm).

Then on Wednesday March 17 at 8.30pm (AEDT) ABC2 has ABC2 Live Presents Bliss, a live performance of Opera Australia’s new production as it is transmitted live from Sydney Opera House.

Neil Armfield directs the dangerous tale of Harry Joy’s (Peter Coleman-Wright) near death experience and subsequent return to life to find his world has been transformed into a Kafkaesque nightmare.

Once a flourishing and carefree advertising executive, Harry’s twisted reality resembles a hellish underworld where the excesses of the 80s meet sex, drugs and social dysfunction. He discovers that his son (tenor David Corcoran) is peddling drugs for sexual favours with his sister (soprano Taryn Fiebig), his wife (soprano Merlyn Quaife) is indulging in a lusty affair with Harry’s business partner (tenor Kanen Breen) and the advertising agency he once proudly led has resorted to flogging cancer-causing products.

Harry’s only respite comes in the form of a prostitute, Honey B, (Lorina Gore) who he falls madly, deeply in love with… But can love conquer his tormented hell?

Jennifer Byrne and Chris Taylor host ABC2 Live Presents Bliss and take us backstage during interval to capture exclusive interviews with principal artists and crew.

This highly anticipated opera event is by composer Brett Dean and award-winning librettist Amanda Holden. Dean’s music is by turns fascinating, atmospheric and beautiful. Elgar Howarth conducts Bliss.

AB2 Live Presents Bliss is also being beamed live to cinemas around Australia. The broadcast concludes the ABC’s Bliss-a-thon, which explored the book, the movie and which went behind the scenes of the opera to film Artscape: Making Opera Bliss. To see exclusive footage from this documentary visit the Arts Gateway at www.abc.net.au/arts