Laura Hopkins News

Only someone who arrived convinced of the opera's bias could have found the Met's premiere of the John Adams-Alice Goodman THE DEATH OF KLINGHOFFER to be anti-Semitic. On the other hand, that doesn't mean that it's even-handed.

Metropolitan Opera's General Manager, Peter Gelb, wrote in the NY Post: 'Monday night's premiere of “The Death of Klinghoffer” was not one of the easiest nights in the history of The Metropolitan Opera, but it was one of the most important.'

American tenor Jay Hunter Morris will replace Anthony Dean Griffey in Houston Grand Opera's world premiere production of A Christmas Carol, it was announced today by HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers. Mr. Griffey has withdrawn for health reasons. The 90-minute opera, commissioned by HGO from composer Iain Bell and librettist Simon Callow, is written for a single singer performing the role of The Narrator. A Christmas Carol runs from December 5 through 21, 2014, at the Wortham Theater Center, and is suitable for ages 12 and up.

The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live transmissions to more than 2,000 movie theaters in 65 countries around the world, will feature ten operas in the 2014-15 season, including all six new productions in the Met season. All ten performances, transmitted live from the Met stage, will feature the world's finest singers, conductors, and theatrical artists.

Frantic Assembly's award-winning production of Shakespeare's OTHELLO comes to Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 12 to 15 November.

Imitating the dog, one of the UK's most original and innovative performance theatre companies are set to bring their unique theatrical vision to the stage this autumn when they produce the first UK stage adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's seminal First World War novel A Farewell to Arms.

Houston Grand Opera's 2014–15 season, the company's 60th anniversary season, includes the world premiere of A Christmas Carol by Iain Bell—the company's 55th new commission —from award-winning Dickens authority Simon Callow; the continuation of HGO's first Ring cycle, with the American premiere of La Fura dels Baus's groundbreaking take on Die Walküre; the American premieres of Sir Nicholas Hytner's The Magic Flute and Lee Blakeley's Sweeney Todd; a 60th Anniversary Gala Concert featuring mezzo-soprano (and HGO Studio alumna) Joyce DiDonato; and a host of career-shaping role debuts that speak to Patrick Summers's gift for casting. Together with the company's first presentation of John Cox'sOtello, and the returns of Göran Järvefelt's beloved Così fan tutte and Michael Grandage's hit staging of Madame Butterfly, these rich offerings serve once again to illustrate some of the ways that HGO—still the only opera company with two Grammys, two Emmys, and a Tony—epitomizes “one model of what a forward-looking opera company could be” (Greg Sandow, Arts Journal).

As previously announced, playing the central roles of Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley will be Jude Monk McGowan and Laura Atherton. Jude Monk McGowan has just finished playing Conrad in the acclaimed Punchdrunk/National Theatre production of The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable. His other credits include Joe Wright's screen adaptation of Anna Karenina, Little Britain and Faith, Hope and Charity at Southwark Playhouse. Laura Atherton's theatre credits include the recent imitating the dog productions The Zero Hour and Six Degrees below the Horizon. The other roles will be played by Morven Macbeth (LeanerFasterStronger, Sheffield Theatres/Chol Theatre), Matt Prendergast (Six Degrees Below the Horizon, imitating the dog), Marco Rossi (Histra, Ferodo Bridges) and making his professional stage debut Joshua Johnson.

Houston Grand Opera capped a financially and artistically successful 2013–14 season by presenting Mieczyslaw Weinberg's The Passenger —the Polish-Jewish composer's long-suppressed Holocaust opera—to wide acclaim at New York's Park Avenue Armory as part of the Lincoln Center Festival, July 10–13. Earlier this year, HGO gave the American premiere of the work in Houston with the same cast. There was special praise for the production and performances, conducted by HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers. New York magazine described David Pountney's staging as “a multi-story set so vivid you can practically smell the machine oil and coal smoke,” while the Financial Times said: “The production, imported from Houston, is imposing in every way.” The New York Times called the cast “flawless,” adding: “The conductor, Patrick Summers, drew a surging, textured, richly detailed performance of this challenging score (lasting three hours) from the inspired musicians of the Houston Grand Opera.” WQXR's Operavore summed up the import of the performances: “The Passenger shows how a Holocaust opera can hold the stage while examining important, complex issues—and could certainly point the way for future composers to deal with such important but delicate subject matter.”

Imitating the dog, one of the UK's most original and innovative performance theatre companies are set to bring their unique theatrical vision to the stage this autumn when they produce the first UK stage adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's seminal First World War novel A Farewell to Arms.

Frantic Assembly theatre company's acclaimed and award-winning production of Othello by William Shakespeare will be revived in 2014/15 for a UK tour, culminating in a four-week London run at the Lyric Hammersmith in January 2015.

The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live transmissions to more than 2,000 movie theaters in 65 countries around the world, will feature ten operas in the 2014-15 season, including all six new productions in the Met season. All ten performances, transmitted live from the Met stage, will feature the world's finest singers, conductors, and theatrical artists.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2014-15 season will feature 26 operas, three of them company premieres, in six new productions and 18 revivals showcasing the talents of the world's leading singers, conductors, and theater artists. The three operas that will have their first-ever Met performances, each staged by a director making his Met debut, are John Adams's The Death of Klinghoffer, conducted by David Robertson and directed by Tom Morris, opening October 20; Rossini's La Donna del Lago, conducted by Michele Mariotti and directed by Paul Curran, opening February 16, 2015; and Tchaikovsky's one-act opera Iolanta, conducted by Valery Gergiev and directed by Mariusz Treli?ski. Iolanta will be presented in a double bill with a new staging of Bartok's one-act Duke Bluebeard's Castle, also conducted by Gergiev and directed by Treli?ski.

Nominated for Best New Musical at the 2013 Olivier Awards, Bill Kenwright and John Miller launch today new dates for 2013 for the smash-hit UK tour of SOUL SISTER - the new musical inspired by the music, life and times of Ike and Tina Turner, that caused a sensation at the West End's Savoy Theatre with rave reviews and standing ovations. The show will visit Nottingham, Bristol, Stoke, Malvern, Brighton, Blackpool, Liverpool, Windsor, Bromley, Sunderland, and Perth.

Nominated for Best New Musical at the 2013 Olivier Awards, Bill Kenwright and John Miller have announced new dates for 2013 for the smash-hit UK tour of SOUL SISTER - the new musical inspired by the music, life and times of Ike and Tina Turner, that caused a sensation at the West End's Savoy Theatre with rave reviews and standing ovations. The show will visit Nottingham, Bristol, Stoke, Malvern, Brighton, Blackpool, Liverpool, Windsor, Bromley, Sunderland, and Perth.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Artistic Director Carey Perloff announced today that their highly anticipated production of the National Theatre of Scotland's internationally acclaimed production of Black Watch has extended its run at The Drill Court at the Armory Community Center (333 14th Street, between Mission and Valencia) through Sunday, June 16. The production was originally scheduled to run through Sunday, June 9. Tickets for all performances are on sale now and may be purchased online at act-sf.org or by calling 415.749.2228.

Soul Sister, the new West End smash-hit musical inspired by the music, life and times of Ike and Tina Turner, rolls into the Lyceum Theatre from Mon 25 February - Sat 2 March.

Bill Kenwright and John Miller end their strictly limited West End season of SOUL SISTER, the new musical inspired by the music, life and times of Ike and Tina Turner, which caused a sensation during its inception at the Hackney Empire. Featuring Emi Wokoma as 'Tina Turner' - whose vocal and dance talents have attracted huge critical and public acclaim since the production's launch - SOUL SISTER will close at the Savoy Theatre today, 29 September 2012.