The Metropolitan Opera's Production of SAMSON ET DALILA To Be Shown on the Big Screen in HD at The Ridgefield Playhouse

The electrifying star duo of mezzo-soprano Elna Garana and tenor Roberto Alagna reunite in the title roles of The Metropolitan Opera's production of Samson et Dalila. See this incredible opera on the big screen in HD at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Monday, October 22nd at 6:30pm, part of the Atria Senior Living Classical Series with Support from The Ridgefield Press and Whistle Stop Bakery. Sir Mark Elder conducts the first new Met production of the work in 20 years. Saint-Saëns's biblical epic is a sensual French opera in the hands of Darko Tresnjak, who won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2014 for A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, making his Met debut directing a vivid, seductive staging, featuring a monumental setting for the last-act Temple of Dagon, where the hero crushes his Philistine enemies. This series is underwritten by Lori & John Berisford, Jeanne Cook, Liz & Steven Goldstone, and Sabina & Walter Slavin.

The setting is Palestine, 1150 B.C. In a square in Gaza, a group of Hebrews beg Jehovah for relief from their bondage to the Philistines; Samson, their leader, rebukes them for their lack of faith. When the Philistine commander, Abimélech, denounces the Hebrews and their God, Samson kills him and leads the Hebrews away. The High Priest of Dagon comes from the Philistine temple and curses Samson's prodigious strength, leaving with the slain man's bier. An Old Hebrew praises the returning Samson. The outer walls of the temple disappear to reveal Samson's former lover, the Philistine woman Dalila, who invites him to come that night to her nearby dwelling. She and her maidens dance seductively for Samson, who becomes deaf to the Old Hebrew's dour prophecies.

The Metropolitan Opera is a vibrant home for the most creative and talented singers, conductors, composers, musicians, stage directors, designers, visual artists, choreographers, and dancers from around the world. The Ridgefield Playhouse offers free tickets to The Metropolitan Opera in HD series to students 18 and younger as a way for parents to introduce their children to the arts. FREE tickets are also available to students 18 and younger for Atria Senior Living Classical Series Live in HD screenings of The Bolshoi Ballet and National Theatre of London.

For tickets ($25 | Members & Seniors $20 | Students $15 | FREE 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.