The Met Opera Summer Encores In HD Announced at The Ridgefield Playhouse

The Metropolitan Opera gets an Encore at The Ridgefield Playhouse this Summer.

With what was tracking to be one of the most successful seasons in years for The Metropolitan Opera, quickly turned into an abbreviated season once COVID hit New York City. The Met was forced to shut down in mid-March, and earlier this week announced that it will not begin its new season this fall. To fill the void that many opera enthusiasts will be experiencing, The Ridgefield Playhouse will be presenting five extraordinary productions on the big screen as part of the Met Opera Summer Encore Series - including this season's record-breaking hit Porgy and Bess. Due to popularity, the Metropolitan Opera had extended its production of Porgy and Bess, the first time the company has done so in its modern history. This brand new production directed by James Robinson in his company debut, will return to the big screen on Saturday, June 27 at 2pm and 7pm. America's "folk opera," as the 1935 creators described it, tells the story of disabled beggar Porgy, sung by Eric Owens, and his love for the drug-addicted Bess, portrayed by Angel Blue. The Gershwins' classic is infused with the timeless melodies of the much-loved standards "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "Bess, You Is My Woman Now," "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin," and "My Man's Gone Now." Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winner Audra McDonald, who won her fifth Tony Award for her portrayal of Bess in the 2012 Broadway revival of the Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, hosts this encore in HD transmission.

Also receiving rave reviews and record ticket sales this season, the spellbinding Philip Glass opera Akhnaten returns on Sunday, July 5 at 4pm, with Anthony Roth Costanzo singing the title role of the Egyptian pharaoh who attempted to inspire his people to adopt a new religion, abandoning the worship of the old gods for that of a single deity. One of the staging's distinctive visual features is provided by the Gandini Juggling Company, whose movements are perfectly choreographed with the orchestral score.

From there we look back at the 2010/2011 season for Don Pasquale on Saturday, August 1 at 2pm and 7pm. Anna Netrebko sings Norina, the role that made her a Met favorite, in this hilarious comedy by Donizetti. Alongside the superstar soprano, the exceptional Bel Canto cast features tenor Matthew Polenzani as Ernesto, baritone Mariusz Kwiecien as Dr. Malatesta, and bass-baritone John Del Carlo in the title role. On Sunday, August 9 at 2pm, Richard Eyre's spirited production of Mozart's masterful comedy from the 2014/2015 season, Le Nozze di Figaro, starring bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role of the clever servant, opposite soprano Marlis Petersen as his bride, Susanna. Rounding out the principal cast, baritone Peter Mattei is the philandering Count, with soprano Amanda Majeski as the long-suffering Countess and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as the libidinous pageboy Cherubino. The Summer Encore Series concludes with Rigoletto, from the 2012/2013 season, on Sunday, August 23 at 2pm. Director Michael Mayer reimagines Verdi's towering tragedy in Las Vegas in 1960-an ideal setting for this eternal conflict of depravity and innocence. In this production, inspired by the antics of the Rat Pack, tenor Piotr Beczała is the womanizing Duke, with baritone Željko Lucic as his tragic sidekick, Rigoletto. Soprano Diana Damrau is Rigoletto's daughter-and their victim.
English subtitles bring the stories to life - we welcome children to experience the depth and raw energy of world-class opera. Tickets are FREE for students 18 and under.

The legendary home of Russian ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet will also return to the big screen with encore in HD presentations this summer. Giselle returns on Sunday, July 26 at 4pm. In this brand-new production of Giselle, world-renowned choreographer Alexei Ratmansky brings a fresh perspective to one of the oldest and greatest works of classical dance, giving the audience an opportunity to re-discover this iconic ballet. On Sunday, August 16, Swan Lake will dance across the screen at 4pm. Tchaikovsky's essential masterpiece returns for an encore broadcast of the most-beloved ballet in the classical canon. Technically challenging and filled with vibrant emotion, with a stunning and world-famous corps de ballet in perfect unison, the legendary love story between Prince Siegfried and the dual personalities Odette/Odile, born at the Bolshoi Theatre, is a must-see. For families with young dancers, tickets are FREE for children 18 and under.

For tickets ($25, Members & Seniors $20, Students $15, Children 18 & under FREE)
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.