Ridgefield to Screen the Met's TOSCA

Revel in the beauty of the opera with an encore showing of Puccini's Tosca on the big screen in HD at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Sunday, January 28th at 2pm, part of the Benchmark Senior Living at Ridgefield Crossings Live in HD & Classical Series and The Metropolitan Opera Live in HD Series with support from The Ridgefield Press and Whistle Stop Bakery. Enjoy the Metropolitan Opera from the best seats in Ridgefield! Rivaling the splendor of Franco Zeffirelli's set and costumes of the Napoleonic era, Sir David McVicar's ravishing new production offers a splendid backdrop for two extraordinary sopranos sharing the title role of the jealous prima donna: Sonya Yoncheva and Anna Netrebko. Vittorio Grigolo and Marcelo Álvarez alternate in the role of Tosca's revolutionary artist lover Cavaradossi, with Bryn Terfel, Michael Volle, and Željko Lucic as the depraved police chief Scarpia.

Puccini's melodrama about a volatile diva, a sadistic police chief, and an idealistic artist has offended and thrilled audiences for more than a century. Critics, for their part, have often had problems with Tosca's rather grungy subject matter, the directness and intensity of its score, and the crowd-pleasing dramatic opportunities it provides for its lead roles. But these same aspects have made Tosca one of a handful of iconic works that seem to represent opera in the public imagination. Tosca's popularity is further secured by a superb and exhilarating dramatic sweep, a driving score of abundant melody and theatrical shrewdness, and a career-defining title role.

The Ridgefield Playhouse offers free tickets to The Metropolitan Opera series to students 18 and under as a way for parents to introduce their children to the arts. FREE tickets are also available for students 18 and under to Benchmark Senior Living at Ridgefield Crossings Live in HD screenings of The Bolshoi Ballet and National Theatre of London.

For tickets ($25, Members & Seniors $20, Students $15 - FREE tickets for students 18 and under), call or visit the box office, 203-438-5795 or go online at ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT.