After wowing audiences in Sydney, this bizarre and beautiful ode to Salvador Dalí heads for Melbourne.

A giant, ghostly horse head; a troupe of Dalí-faced ballet dancers; a forest of enormous, towering dandelions; a fantastical world of soaring aerialists and surreal vistas. Welcome to the bizarre and beautiful universe of La Verità.

Created by Italian theatre company Compagnia Finzi Pasca, this sublimely strange show is a melting pot of circus acrobatics, dance, theatre and music, galvanised by the surrealist vision of the 20th century-artist, Salvador Dalí. Having wowed audiences at the Sydney Festival, this jaw-dropping production opens this week in Melbourne. Online editor Maxim Boon spoke to composer and co-founder of Compagnia Finzi Pasca, Maria Bonzanigo, about bringing this weird and wonderful creation to the stage.

This show takes its inspiration from a theatre scrim designed by Salvador Dalí. How did the show develop from this point of origin?

All of us involved in the direction, scenography, costumes, choreography, lights, music and video have immersed ourselves in the work of Dalí and in the story of Tristan and Isolde, on which the painting is inspired. Together we have...