Ridgefield Playhouse to Broadcast THE NOSE, FRANKENSTEIN & THE HABIT OF THE ART in HD

Thanks to the Live in HD series, the best of British theatre and The New York Metropolitan opera are coming to The Ridgefield Playhouse. The Met's inventive production of Shostakovich's The Nose will fill The Playhouse on Monday, October 28. Appropriately for Halloween, Frankenstein stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller on Thursday, October 31. Alan Bennett's The Habit of Art is center stage on Wednesday, November 20. These performances start at 6:30 p.m. and include behind-the-scenes tours and commentary by some of the genres' most revered stars. For dinner-and-a-show, Bernard's (22 West Lane, Ridgefield) is offering a special $45 prix-fixe menu, or a free glass of wine with dinner when tickets for Frankenstein and The Habit of Art are presented; reservations suggested beginning at 5 p.m.These events are underwritten by Jeanne Cook, Anita and Nicholas Donofrio, Liz and Steven Goldstone, Marilyn and Joe Kreitz, Joanne and John Patrick, Sabina and Walter Slavin, Taylor Zemo Foundation and The Ridgefield Press with support from Starbucks and Whistle Stop Bakery (products available in the lobby) and media sponsor WSHU.

William Kentridge stormed the Met with his inventive production of the Shostakovich opera The Nose, which dazzled opera and art lovers alike in its inaugural run in 2010. Now, Paulo Szot reprises his acclaimed performance of a bureaucrat, whose satirical misadventures in search of his missing nose are based on Gogol's comic story. Valéry Gergiev conducts.

A monster hit, Frankenstein is directed by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle whose production has been declared sensational, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternating roles as Victor Frankenstein and his creation. Childlike in his innocence but grotesque in form, Frankenstein's bewildered creature is cast out into a hostile universe by his horror-struck maker. What better way to spend Halloween! Critics love Frankenstein: "A theatrical coup." (The Times) Daily Telegraph praises: "A thrill. The most viscerally exciting and stunning show in town." According to Daily Mail, Frankenstein is "A memorable production... will doubtless be spoken of for years to come."
In Alan Bennett's play The Habit of Art, Benjamin Britten, sailing uncomfortably close to the wind with his new opera, Death in Venice, seeks advice from his former collaborator and friend, W.H. Auden. During this imagined meeting, their first in twenty-five years, they are observed and interrupted by, amongst others, their future biographer and a young man from the local bus station.

Other NTL events coming to The Playhouse are Hamlet, Sunday, November 24; 50 Years on Stage, Sunday, December 1;Coriolanus, Saturday, February 15, 2014, all at 6:30 p.m. For a complete list of operas, visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

For tickets ($25 adults, $18 each for either series, $20 seniors & $15 students by calling the box office), call (203) 438-5795, or order online at ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a not-for-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT.

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