FAUST Will Open at Houston Grand Opera on Halloween Weekend

On Oct. 30, 2026, Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will open Gounod's Faust, arriving to Houston in an iconic staging originally seen at London's Royal Ballet and Opera, created by legendary director David McVicar. The performance will feature an internationally celebrated cast, led by tenor Matthew Polenzani in his role debut as Faust, soprano Pretty Yende in her HGO and role debuts as Marguerite, and bass-baritone Ildebrando D'Arcangelo in his company debut as Mephistopheles. Giacomo Sagripanti, music director of the Tbilisi Opera House, conducts in his HGO debut.

Perfect for the Halloween season, McVicar's decadent vision of the classic opera takes audiences into the seductive world of 1870s Paris, where temptation lurks around every corner. Amid raucous cabarets, can-can dancers, and wicked revelry, Faust falls under the spell of the devilish Mephistopheles. When he bargains his soul for the chance to seduce the pure-hearted Marguerite, Faust sets in motion a tragic chain of events that leads to her ruin—but also her salvation. The drama unfolds through some of the most thrilling music in the operatic canon, from Mephistopheles's diabolical "Song of the Golden Calf" to Marguerite's glittering "Jewel Song."

Halloween weekend will feature two showings of Faust, on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1. The Nov. 7 performance will welcome members of Overture, HGO's social group for members of LGBTQIA+ community. The Nov. 13 presentation of the opera will bring HGO's first-ever Masquerade Night, which invites audiences to come in costume and enjoy special entertainment, cocktails, and more. The same Nov. 13 show is an Under 40 Friday performance, part of an HGO initiative to welcome the next generation of opera lovers with $40 Orchestra-level seats, available to audience members younger than 40 after successful age verification. Overture and Under 40 Friday audiences are invited to enjoy complimentary cocktail mixers.

The opera runs for three hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission. It is sung in French, with projected English translation.

The opera features acclaimed tenor Matthew Polenzani in his role debut as Faust, joined by sublime soprano Pretty Yende, in demand on the world's great stages, in her HGO and role debuts as Marguerite, and the esteemed bass-baritone Ildebrando D'Arcangelo in his company debut as Mephistopheles. The dynamic baritone Sean Michael Plumb returns to HGO as Valentin, with mezzo-soprano Sun-Ly Pierce, a Butler Studio alumna forging an exciting international career, as Siebel. Peter Relton revives director David McVicar's production, featuring the HGO Orchestra and Chorus, with Giacomo Sagripanti conducting.