'COME with me, and you'll be in a world of pure imagination...' Willie Wonka, Roald Dahl's best loved children's character, will bring out the child in even the most aloof opera lover this year when the European premiere of the new opera ' The Golden Ticket' forms part of the trilogy for this year's Wexford Festival. It's the first time for the Festival Committee to choose an opera they hope will appeal directly to children and families, and it represents a brave new venture.

As they stray from the more classical compositions to bring a new breed of opera to what they hope will be a new audience.

With Opera Houses the world over struggling to maintain capacity houses in the economic downturn, Wexford Festival chose The Golden Ticket because of its popular appeal

As a new work it should appeal to the curious opera goer. But it also ticks the box for people who find heavy opera too high brow, or inaccessible.

They already know the story of The Golden Ticket. The opera is sung in English. And while it is still very much an opera it has shades of Sondheim in its scoring with makes it less strident on the ear.

Another sign of recessionary-thinking, Wexford Festival collaborated with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in the USA to bring the opera to the stage.

Opera is the most expensive theatrical medium in the world, and by splitting the costs with their American counterparts the debut can attain high production values.

That's important when the visuals must include a chocolate river, a shrinking Mike on TV and Wonkas Elevator.

Add in elaborate costuming and make up, and the on-stage experience is every bit the colourful visual blow-out.

Its premiere in the US also attracted rave reviews from theatre goers, with one patron describing it as 'opera for everyone' - its appeal transcends generations from young children to their grandparents.

The opera is the second by Iowaborn composer and conductor, Peter Ash, with a libretto by Donald Sturrock who also collaborated with Ash on his first opera 'Keepers of the Night'.

Sturrock is something of a Dahl aficionado, and is currently involved in a creating a library of orchestral and operatic work for children based on Dahl's writings. Harpur Collins will publish Sturrocks biography of Dahl, 'Storyteller', in early September this year.

The international press reviews have been 'overwhelming' for the excited crew at Wexford Opera House - especially as they have plans to expand and improve it, bringing even great scale to the production.

As noted by the Opera today critic - ' There are easier things thank launching a new comic, family friendly opera...like rocket science, perhaps. All in all aurally and dramatically the piece is accessible, interesting and highly entertaining.'

Wexford's discerning audiences - and hopefully plenty of new inductees to the world of Wexford Festival - will get to judge for themselves when The Golden Ticket gets its European Premiere. Performance dates are Sunday, October 17; Wednesday, October 20; Saturday, October 23; Tuesday, October 26 and Friday, October 29. Tickets can be booked online at wexfordoperahouse.com

- ANNE MARIE O'CONNOR