What even is an opera? And how is it different from a musical? Both are theatrical performances with a lot of singing, and the two art forms have always been closely connected. Works like the Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, and Gilbert and Sullivan鈥檚 The Pirates of Penzance have worn both labels with great success. So, if you saw Porgy and Bess on Broadway as a musical, consider stopping by the Metropolitan Opera this fall to give it a try as an opera. Or if you鈥檙e in the mood for some comedy, the Met has you covered with a variety of opera buffa.
If you鈥檙e a musical theatre fan who wants to take the plunge into opera, here are some shows you should check out!
1. If You Love Sunset Boulevard, See Salome
If you鈥檙e one of the thousands who were thrilled at the grisly ending of Sunset Boulevard this season, you might be interested to know that Norma Desmond鈥檚 dream role of Salome will be taking the stage at the Met this spring in the form of Richard Strauss鈥� opera of the same name. Much like the Oscar Wilde play from which it was adapted, Strauss鈥� Salome has long courted controversy. Its Metropolitan Opera premiere in 1907 was met with cries of 鈥渄egeneracy,鈥� with audiences and board members alike balking at its gruesome content. The opera was subsequently banned at the Met until 1934, when it was brought back to a more favorable reception. It has been revived regularly ever since, continuing to shock and delight audiences to this day.
A far cry from Norma鈥檚 鈥渟ix very important pictures,鈥� Strauss鈥� Salome is a tightly packed 100 minutes of tense drama and thrilling music.
2. If You Love The Pirates of Penzance, See The Barber of Seville
If you need a breather from all that drama, we鈥檝e got you covered: Rossini鈥檚 Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), one of the most-loved comic operas in the canon, returns to the Met this season, in a production directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher. The show combines the best in musical comedy with the best of opera buffa. Disguises, slapstick, and a Hello Dolly!鈥�style passerelle wrapping around the orchestra pit will make fans of shows like Some Like It Hot or The Pirates of Penzance feel right at home. (Indeed, Arthur Sullivan鈥檚 score for The Pirates of Penzance is heavily influenced by Rossini!)
Couple that with a toe-tapping score featuring some of opera鈥檚 most enduring melodies鈥攕uch as the titular barber鈥檚 鈥淚 am鈥� song (memorably sung by Robin Williams in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire) and the iconic overture (made immortal by Bugs Bunny in the Looney Tunes short Rabbit of Seville)鈥�Il Barbiere di Siviglia is sure to leave you smiling and humming.
3. If You Love A Little Night Music, See The Marriage of Figaro
You probably also know some tunes from Il Barbiere di Siviglia鈥檚 sequel, Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). Well, sequel might be a strong word. Nozze was written 30 years before Barbiere, and by Mozart. But both are based on plays by Pierre Beaumarchais concerning the antics of the barber Figaro, the Count and Countess Almaviva, and a large and vibrant supporting cast.
The intricately plotted farce Le Nozze di Figaro is filled with jealousy and heartache galore, set to an elegant and meticulously crafted score. It might even remind you of the beloved Sondheim show A Little Night Music鈥�there is even a jealous Count and long-suffering Countess!
Figaro is a pivotal inspiration for a number of artists. 惭辞锄补谤迟鈥檚 stunning and tuneful score for Le Nozze di Figaro has appeared in movies like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (in which the overture is mistakenly identified as Rachmaninoff), The Shawshank Redemption, and Trading Places. Figaro's story of the jealous Count suspecting his wife of having an affair with a page boy (who is disguised as a maid) is parodied in Andrew Lloyd Webber鈥檚 The Phantom of the Opera, in the show-within-a-show Il Muto.
Side note鈥攆or those musicology experts keeping score, The Phantom of the Opera references the following operas: Don Juan Triumphant presents a scenario from the second act of 惭辞锄补谤迟鈥檚 Don Giovanni, the Hannibal scene parodies opulent Grand Operas like Aida and the works of Meyerbeer, and Carlotta鈥檚 high-flying coloratura draws on the Queen of the Night鈥檚 famous aria from The Magic Flute.
4. If You Love Rent, See La Boh猫me
Many of Broadway鈥檚 longest-running musicals have drawn on opera. Jonathan Larson鈥檚 Pulitzer Prize鈥搘inning Rent is famously based on Puccini鈥檚 La Boh猫me, which is the most-performed opera in the Met鈥檚 history. The Met presents the show annually in Franco Zeffirelli鈥檚 lavish production, which makes full use of the opera house鈥檚 immense stage resources, including all three stage wagons (full-sized stages on wheels that sit in the wings to be rolled on for a speedy set change), hundreds of chorus members and supernumeraries, and even a donkey!
5. If You Love Elton John鈥檚 Aida, See Verdi鈥檚
Spectacle is certainly in no short supply at the opera. Verdi鈥檚 础颈诲补鈥�that was notably adapted into a Broadway musical by Sir Elton John鈥攊s famous for its pageantry, including the ballet scenes. For musical fans who love a good dance number, there is a lavish processional in the second act (it's the kind of thing that Lloyd Webber was parodying). Of course, it's not just pageantry in La Boh猫me or Aida. Both operas tell heart-wrenching love stories with sumptuous music鈥攁n operatic staple also on display in Verdi鈥檚 La Traviata and Tchaikovsky鈥檚 Eugene Onegin.
The Met鈥檚 current production of Aida is directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer. Along with the previously mentioned Bartlett Sher, Mayer is one of many beloved Broadway directors who have left their mark on the Met stage (others include Lileana Blain-Cruz, John Doyle, Ivo van Hove, Robert O鈥橦ara, Susan Stroman, Darko Tresnjak, and Mary Zimmerman).
6. If You Love Into the Woods, See Die Zauberfl枚te
惭辞锄补谤迟鈥檚 Die Zauberfl枚te (The Magic Flute) is a fairy-tale opera populated with a vibrant cast of magical beings, woodland creatures, and humans caught between the magical and the mundane. As such, it has inspired endlessly inventive productions, with artists like David Hockney, Julie Taymor, and Marc Chagall leaving their mark on the opera over the years.
The Met鈥檚 current production is directed by Simon McBurney, and embraces the opera鈥檚 fantastic theatricality, raising the orchestra pit to have the musicians in view of the audience, and stationing two artists on either side of the stage to augment the action. On one side, a visual artist draws backgrounds and makes shadow puppets that are projected in real time to form the scenery. On the other side, a foley artist makes live sound effects to bring the world to life. All this illustrates the tale of a prince sent on a quest to rescue a princess from a wicked sorcerer鈥攐nly to learn along the way that good and evil are not as simple as they first seem.
7. If You Love Shakespeare, See Antony and Cleopatra
Shakespeare has long been a source of inspiration for opera composers. Giuseppe Verdi composed three Shakespeare operas鈥�Macbeth, Otello, and Falstaff; he also planned a King Lear opera which he never lived to complete. Rossini also had a crack at Othello, Berlioz took on Much Ado About Nothing, and Gounod adapted Romeo and Juliet. When the current Metropolitan Opera House opened for the first time in 1966, it did so with the world premiere of Samuel Barber鈥檚 Antony and Cleopatra.
Now, nearly 60 years later, a second Antony and Cleopatra opera will take the stage at the Met, this one with a score by John Adams. The libretto is adapted from Shakespeare, augmented with text by Virgil, Plutarch, and others. The production team, led by director Elkhanah Pulitzer, also boasts Broadway alums, including costume designer Constance Hoffman (M. Butterfly) and Tony-winning set designer Mimi Lien (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812).
Because of its memorable music, awe-inspiring spectacle, and impressive vocals鈥攁ny musical theatre fan can feel right at home at the opera. Don鈥檛 feel daunted by the language barrier; subtitles are provided on the backs of all the seats, and you can read a synopsis of the opera in the program. And reports of a formal dress code have been greatly exaggerated, you鈥檒l see audience members in outfits ranging from suits to sweatshirts.
Attending the opera is no different from any other theatrical performance. If you鈥檝e never seen an opera before, check out to browse the season lineup, and check out the rush and lottery options for inexpensive tickets. You鈥檒l find some new shows to love.
