Posted August 22, 2017 15:56:41

Photo: Not a sight you see every day....human noses tap dancing in front of Sydney's most iconic building. (ABC News: Nadia Daly)

An absurdist opera featuring tap dancing noses is among Opera Australia's 2018 line-up hoping to draw bigger crowds after a challenging 2017 season due to the closure of a theatre.

Bemused onlookers and tourists watched nine dancers in nose costumes strut out in front of the Sydney Opera House to launch the program, which Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini said would include a mix of old classics and innovative, experimental pieces to broaden their audience base.

"We're doing Aida next year, La Traviata, La Boheme; they're popular operas but they're also operas that are funny, quirky and we think we can play to a lot more people by doing them," he said.

The Nose is expected to be a kooky highlight of the season and it will be the first time the opera has been performed in the country under Australian director Barrie Kosky.

Photo: The Nose is a 1928 absurdist work which follows a man's desperate nose-hunt. (ABC News: Nadia Daly)

The story follows a man who wakes up to find his nose has gone missing and later discovers it has developed a life of its own.

"It's a comic opera, it's very funny," Mr Terracini said.

"And we're thrilled Barry is coming back to Australia to direct it."

The production 'The Nose' is part of a concentrated push by the company to broaden its appeal and boost audience numbers.

Audience numbers were down this year due to a major upgrade of the Opera House's Joan Sutherland Theatre.

Photo: Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini said The Nose is a comic opera which is hoping to attract new audiences. (ABC News: Nadia Daly)

Topics: opera-and-musical-theatre, arts-and-entertainment, offbeat, human-interest, sydney-2000