La Traviata in pop culture

There are popular operas and then there’s La Traviata.

Verdi’s masterpiece about a courtesan who dares to dream of a different life – and then makes an incredibly selfless sacrifice – is the most frequently-performed opera in the world. In our 2020 survey to uncover Australia’s Favourite Opera, which received more than 6,000 votes, La Traviata came out on top.

So it’s unsurprising that this opera – one of the great tragic love stories, set to some of the most beautiful melodies ever written – has inspired other artists in the years since its premiere in 1853.

Here are just a handful of the moments in which La Traviata has popped up in pop culture.

Pretty Woman

Not only is the 1990 romantic comedy Pretty Woman loosely inspired by La Traviata – in it, an escort falls in love with a well-to-do gentleman, who might just transform her life – but its most memorable scene actually takes place at a performance of La Traviata!

Vivian, played by Julia Roberts, has her first visit to the opera wearing an iconic red dress and a spectacular diamond necklace bought for her by Edward, played by Richard Gere. At the end of the performance, an elderly audience member asks Vivian if she enjoyed the opera. Vivian’s hilarious response is pretty… candid.

Moulin Rouge!

Baz Luhrmann says the main inspiration for his Oscar-winning 2001 movie musical Moulin Rouge is the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. But it’s clear that the plot also owes a debt to Verdi’s opera.

Satine, played by Nicole Kidman, is a beloved courtesan living in Paris who, like Violetta, is suffering from consumption. She falls in love with Christian (Ewan McGregor, who promises to show her a new life) but their love is threatened by a wealthy Duke, who stands between the two.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

One of the most iconic moments in Australian film history actually owes a debt to La Traviata. In the film’s most memorable scene, drag queen Felicia (Guy Pearce) screams across the desert atop a bus, with sparkly silver fabric billowing behind her.

Felicia delivers a fabulous lip-sync to Violetta’s aria, ‘Sempre libera’, in which she declares that she will always be free and scales the vocal heights with great flair. And the recording she lip-syncs to? By an Opera Australia legend, Joan Carden.

The moment was recreated for the stage musical version of Priscilla, which has now toured the world with seasons on Broadway and the West End.

Katy Perry

Some operas are so great they’re not just seen and heard, they’re felt. And sometimes… they’re worn!

For the 2014 Grammy Awards red carpet, pop star Katy Perry wore a bespoke gown designed by fashion legend Valentino, embroidered with Verdi’s score. The gown took 1,600 hours to embroider and was titled ‘La Valse de Violetta Valéry’, and uses the music from the very start of the first act, ‘Dell'invito trascorsa e gia l'ora’.

Valentino & Sofia Coppola

Katy Perry’s red carpet look wasn’t the last time Valentino drew inspiration from La Traviata. In 2016, Valentino designed costumes for a new production of the opera, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sofia Coppola.

The production, created for Teatro dell’Opera Di Roma, was an enormous hit and almost sold out its 15-performance run before performances commenced.