Met casts 125th season
Offers six production, 18 revivals
In addition to six new productions and 18 revivals, the Met’s 2008-09 slate also includes the expansion of its high-def broadcasts in cinemas and a free fall perf of Verdi’s “Requiem” on the anniversary of Pavarotti’s death.
Canadian helmer LePage will direct Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” in November, while Zimmerman, who won a Tony for her direction of “Metamorphoses” on Broadway, will stage “La Sonnambula” in March 2009.
Set designer Crouch (“Shockheaded Peter”), costumer Zuber (“South Pacific”) and lighting designer MacDevitt (“The Coast of Utopia”) make up the design team for the Met preem of John Adams and Peter Sellars’ 2005 opera “Doctor Atomic.” Opening in October, the show is staged by Brit TV and doc helmer Penny Woolcock.
Also on the list of the season’s offerings is “Thais,” starring Renee Fleming, as well as a final revival of Otto Schenk’s marathon of “Der Ring des Nibelungen.”
Meanwhile, the org steps up its “The Met: Live in HD” sked from eight to 10 for the season, while also expanding its education programs. New-media push also involves DVD releases of recorded productions.
In addition, the season announcement brought an update on the Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theater Opera/Theater Commissions program. A workshop of Rufus Wainwright’s new opera, “Prima Donna,” is skedded for January, while composer Scott Wheeler is working with scribe Romulus Linney on adapting one of Linney’s plays. Also developing work through the program are legit regulars Michael John LaChiusa, Des McAnuff, Richard Greenberg, Jeanine Tesori, Craig Lucas, Tony Kushner and Adam Guettel.
Met general manager Peter Gelb touted the company’s increased paid box office attendance -- up to 88% from 84% the prior year -- and the 600,000 or so tickets sold so far for the “Live in HD” program.
