The MET: LIVE IN HD PUCCINI'S MANON LESCAUT
Saturday March 5 at 1pm at UPAC in Kingston
(Kingston, NY) The Bardavon is pleased to continue The Met: Live in HD 2015/16 season with Puccini’s masterpiece MANON LESCAUT on Saturday, March 5 at 1pm at the Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) in Kingston.
Jonas Kaufmann has canceled his performances in this season’s new production of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut due to illness. Star tenor Roberto Alagna—currently at the Met giving an acclaimed performance of Canio in Pagliacci—will sing his first-ever performances of des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, replacing Kaufmann. To allow time for him learn the staging before the February 12 new production premiere, Alagna must withdraw from his remaining performances as Canio as he undertakes this new challenge. The French tenor, who has sung more than 100 Met performances since 1996, learned the role of des Grieux for a 2006 series of performances that were canceled, meaning that this season’s Met performances are the first time he will ever sing the part onstage.
The new production of Manon Lescaut, conducted by Fabio Luisi and directed by Sir Richard Eyre, premieres February 12 and will run for nine performances through March 11. Kristine Opolais stars in the title role with Alagna as the ill-fated lovers at the center of Manon Lescaut, Puccini’s passionate adaptation of the classic novel about a free-spirited country girl who becomes the toast of Paris. The opera also features Massimo Cavalletti as Lescaut and Brindley Sherratt as Geronte. The March 5 matinee will be transmitted live as part of the Met’s Live in HD series, which reaches more than 2,000 movie theaters in 70 countries around the world.
PRE SHOW TALK: One half hour prior to curtain time, ticket-holders are invited to enjoy an insightful talk at the Bardavon or UPAC on the day's production lead by Leslie Gerber, who is a music teacher at Marist's Center for Lifetime Studies and author of all Hudson Valley Philharmonic playbill liner notes.
The generous corporate sponsor of The Met: Live in HD at the Bardavon and UPAC is Premier Medical Group. The Met: Live in HD is also made possible in part through generous support from the Jane Nuhn Charitable Trust. Additional support also comes from the Dr. Edwin Ulrich Charitable Trust and the Steve and Julia Dunwell and Benjamin R. Strong Opera Funds of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.
Tickets for MANON LESCAULT are $27 (Adults), $25 (Bardavon Member), and $20 (Children 12 and under) and are available at:
Bardavon Box Office
35 Market Street
Poughkeepsie, NY
845.473.2072
Upac Box Office
601 Broadway
Kingston, NY
845.339.6088
or through Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000 or www.ticketmaster.com
The remaining MET LIVE 15-16 season broadcasts at Bardavon and UPAC:
Puccini’s Madama Butterfly
April 2 - Bardavon/UPAC – 1pm
Strauss’ Elektra
April 30 – Bardavon – 1pm
Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux
May 7 – Bardavon -1pm - encore
The Bardavon 1869 Opera House, Inc. (the Bardavon) is a New York State nonprofit corporation that owns and operates two historic theaters – the 944-seat namesake theater in Poughkeepsie and 1515-seat Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) in Kingston – and the region’s premiere orchestra, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. It presents top-notch music, dance, theater, and classic films for diverse audiences in both its venues; stages free annual outdoor events in local communities; and partners with regional schools to offer unique arts-based learning experiences. The Bardavon also continues to restore and preserve its historic theaters for today’s audiences and future generations to enjoy. Visit www.bardavon.org.