Peter Sellars News

When sheltered Claudine meets starving artist Henry, she falls head over heels. But her mother, a tough-talking celebrity financial guru, has her doubts: Is Henry everything her daughter deserves or is he only after her money? Rich Girl, a modern day take on the classic play and film The Heiress, is a clever new comedy about women, men, mothers, and money – but not necessarily in that order.

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Edo de Waart open the 2014 Beethoven Festival with Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 on March 21-23, 2014 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. The program features the MSO Chorus, soprano Susanna Phillips, mezzo- soprano Kelley O'Connor, tenor Thomas Cooley, and baritone Christopher Maltman. The performances open with John Adams's The Wound-Dresser, a setting of Walt Whitman's Civil War prose.

Internationally renowned director Peter Sellars returns to the Canadian Opera Company this spring with a new company production of Handel's Hercules that propels the Greek myth into the modern day, giving voice to the untold horrors of war and the unspoken complications faced by veterans returning home. The COC premiere of Hercules reunites Sellars with celebrated conductor Harry Bicket and the all-star cast that presented this co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago to unequivocal praise at its debut in Chicago in 2011. Hercules is sung in English with English SURTITLES and runs for seven performances at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on April 5, 11, 15, 19, 24, 27, 30, 2014.

Internationally renowned director Peter Sellars returns to the Canadian Opera Company this spring with a new company production of Handel's Hercules that propels the Greek myth into the modern day, giving voice to the untold horrors of war and the unspoken complications faced by veterans returning home. The COC premiere of Hercules reunites Sellars with celebrated conductorHarry Bicket and the all-star cast that presented this co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago to unequivocal praise at its debut in Chicago in 2011. Hercules is sung in English with English SURTITLES and runs for seven performances at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on April 5, 11, 15, 19, 24, 27, 30, 2014.

The 2014 season is off to a strong start, with brisk advance ticket sales. To meet demand, the Stratford Festival is adding performances of Antony and Cleopatra and A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Chamber Play.

Perhaps the most controversial opera of the 20th century makes its Southern California debut when Long Beach Opera (LBO) stages John Adams' The Death of Klinghoffer on March 16 and March 22 at the Terrace Theater in downtown Long Beach. This powerful and unsettling work chronicles the 1985 hijacking of the Mediterranean cruise ship Achille Lauro by Palestinian terrorists and the murder of disabled Jewish-American passenger, Leon Klinghoffer. LBO's production is a partner presentation of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 'Minimalist Jukebox' Festival.

Lyric Opera of Chicago is pleased to announce that soprano Ana María Martínezand bass-baritone Eric Owens will serve as the inaugural Community Ambassadors as part of the Lyric Unlimited initiative. These two artists will strengthen and actively participate in new, ongoing, and future Lyric Unlimited programs that serve and engage schools and the larger community, including the Vocal Partnership Program, Youth Opera Council, Teen Opera Circle, Lyric's ongoing relationship with Latino communities, and other collaborative community events. Martínez and Owens are starring in Lyric's new production of Rusalka, which opens on Saturday, February 22 and runs through March 16.

The 49th season of Lincoln Center's Great Performers series, which will run from November 2, 2014 through May 10, 2015, was announced today by Jane Moss, Ehrenkranz Artistic Director. Highlighting the season are the return of the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, led by Riccardo Chailly and of Michael Tilson Thomasconducting the London Symphony Orchestra. The "Art of the Song" series returns in 2015 with recitals by four outstanding vocal artists. The 2014-2015 season also features a period-instrument chamber orchestra series, a recital series, and a film series, and includes pre- and post-concert discussions and lectures. A new series, "Complimentary Classical" will bring four compelling string quartets to the David Rubenstein Atrium in free concerts in 2015.

Real-life mother and son Tony and Emmy Award nominee Kate Burton (The Corn is Green, The Cherry Orchard, Hedda Gabler at the Huntington) and Morgan Ritchie (The Corn is Green) will play mother and son onstage together for the first time when they return to the Huntington Theatre Company for a lush new production of Anton Chekhov's passionate classic The Seagull. Huntington favorite Maria Aitken (The Cocktail Hour, Betrayal) will direct the Paul Schmidt translation of the classic of world drama about love, missed connections, and what it means to be an artist. Performances of The Seagull begin at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre on March 7, 2014.

It wasn't Theodora, but the Carnegie Hall audience, who went wild on Sunday at the performance by the English Concert of Handel's rarely heard THEODORA. With the modern rebirth of interest in all-things Handel, why has THEODORA remained a sometimes-thing? Well, let's face it: It's not GIULIO CESARE or even RADAMISTO (last year's Baroque extravaganza from the English Concert and Harry Bicket), where you come for the thrills of florid singing, with brilliant coloratura. No, THEODORA is a very different animal--and it's easy to see why it was a failure on its first go-around, at Covent Garden in London in 1750. Yet, Handel frequently said that this was his favorite oratorio and he would get no argument from concert-goers at Carnegie Hall on Sunday.

It's back to the 80s (and the 50s, 60s, 70s, 90s and 00s) with a legend of the screen telling tales about some of the most famous names in entertainment. She may have played some bad bad women, but she is so lovely in real life - unless you're an ex-husband or a lawyer!

Very sad news today in the theatre world: Oscar, Tony and multi-award winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead from suspected drug overdose on Sunday afternoon at his apartment in Manhattan's West Village. Beloved by audiences, and colleagues, we are sad to present a photo flashback of BroadwayWorld.com's 10 years of photo coverage of this one of a kind talent.

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director), Barry Grove (Executive Producer), and Mandy Greenfield (Artistic Producer) are pleased to announce complete casting for the upcoming world premiere production of TALES FROM RED VIENNA, the new play by David Grimm (Measure for Pleasure), directed by Kate Whoriskey (Ruined at MTC).

Anthony Freud, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, announced today that the company will present a new production of Richard Wagner's monumental four-opera masterpiece, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) starting in 2016-17.

Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) announces the launch of a two-year, $1 million campaign to establish the Cage Cunningham Fund for artist fellowships, named after legendary artistic partners John Cage and Merce Cunningham.

The Theatre @ Boston Court presents Se Llama Cristina, by Octavio Solis, directed by Robert Castro. This production is the final stop on the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, which included productions at The Magic Theater in San Francisco and Kitchen Dog in Dallas. Opening night is Saturday, January 25, 2014 on the Main Stage at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor Avenue.

One of the most powerful concert experiences of recent seasons is about to become one of the most significant releases of the new year: Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, along with an outstanding cast featuring Kelley O'Connor, Tamara Mumford and Russell Thomas, in Deutsche Grammophon's world-premiere recording of composer John Adams' internationally acclaimed The Gospel According to the Other Mary. Adams' “21st-century masterpiece” (Los Angeles Times) will be released on the Yellow Label on March 11, 2014.

The Theatre @ Boston Court presents Se Llama Cristina, by Octavio Solis, directed by Robert Castro. This production is the final stop on the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, which included productions at The Magic Theater in San Francisco and Kitchen Dog in Dallas. Opening night is Saturday, January 25, 2014 on the Main Stage at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor Avenue.

One of the most innovative and powerful forces in the performing arts world today, director Peter Sellars returns to the Canadian Opera Company with an already acclaimed new COC production of Handel's Hercules, based on Sophocles' timeless tragedy. Sellars propels the Greek myth of Hercules into the modern day, directing the same star-studded cast that premiered this production to unanimous praise at Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2011: American bass-baritone Eric Owens as Hercules (COC debut); British mezzo-soprano Alice Coote as Hercules' wife Dejanira; American countertenor David Daniels as Hercules' trusted aide, Lichas; American tenor Richard Croft as Hercules' son, Hyllus; and British soprano Lucy Crowe as the princess Iole (COC debut). Internationally renowned Baroque specialist Harry Bicket leads the COC Orchestra and Chorus through Handel's glorious music. The ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles was also a war general who knew first-hand the devastating psychological traumas facing returning veterans. With Hercules Sellars creates a healing work in which the untold horrors of war and the unspoken complications of reunion find their voice.