Ambrose & More Set For The Met and Shakespeare Society's SONGS FOR OPHELIA 3/22

The Shakespeare Society (Michael Sexton, Artistic Director) has announced that Songs for Ophelia, a special one-night-only collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera (which is currently presenting Amboise Thomas' Hamlet), will take place on Monday, March 22 at 7:00pm at Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95 Street. Tickets, which are $25, maybe be purchased by visiting www.symphonyspace.org. For information about The Shakespeare Society, membership, and member tickets, phone 212-967-6802 or visit www.shakespearesociety.org.

This special one-night-only evening of music, drama, and commentary is devoted to Ophelia-one of Shakespeare's most tragic and least understood heroines. Reading selections from Shakespeare's play will be Tony Award-winner Blair Brown (The Clean House, Copenhagen, Arcadia), Drama Desk Award-winner Lauren Ambrose (Exit the King, Hamlet, Awake and Sing), Jennifer Ikeda (Hamlet, Top Girls), and Santino Fontana (Hamlet, Sunday in the Park with George, Billy Elliot). American soprano Leah Partridge, who has appeared in recent Met productions of Thaïs and Peter Grimes, will sing selections from Ambroise Thomas's opera Hamlet. Soprano Julie Boulianne, who will soon make her New York City Opera debut in Chabrier's L'Etoile, will sing Berlioz's "La Mort d'Ophelie."

Songs for Ophelia will be moderated by Tony Award-winning theater and opera director Bartlett Sher (South Pacific, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, IL Barbiere di Siviglia, Les Contes d' Hoffmann).

The Metropolitan Opera's new production of Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet, starring Simon Keenlyside and Marlis Petersen, is running through April 9. As part of the Met's award-winning Live in HD series, the production will be transmitted live to movie theaters around the world on March 27. For more information, please visit www.metopera.org.
The Shakespeare Society is a not-for-profit membership organization presenting entertaining and challenging programs that combine stage performances by outstanding actors with illuminating commentary by noted Shakespearean writers, scholars, and directors. A fundamental belief of the founders of The Shakespeare Society is that enjoying and understanding Shakespeare begin in the classroom; therefore, a portion of the Society's membership dollars is used to support educational activities in New York City's middle and high schools. The Shakespeare Society also offers residencies and workshops to directors and actors working on or developing Shakespeare projects. Past participants in Shakespeare Society performances and events include Harold Bloom, F. Murray Abraham, Stephen Greenblatt, Liev Schreiber, Lynn Redgrave, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Kathleen Chalfant, Michael Cumpsty, Jefferson Mays, Marcia Gay Harden, Patrick Stewart, Sir Peter Hall, Derek Jacobi, Philip Bosco, Marjorie Garber, Ralph Fiennes, Ron Rosenbaum, Richard Easton, John Guare, and Claire Bloom.

For Shakespeare Society membership information or information about any Shakespeare Society event, phone 212-967-6802 or go to www.shakespearesociety.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.