It's comic and serious, entertaining and erudite, silly and thoughtful, emotional and mysterious, harrowing and uplifting, intimate and over-the-top — and the more times you see it, the more you'll find in it and the more you'll get out of it.
Richard S. Ginell, Los Angeles Times [Read his complete review]
LA Opera presents The Ghosts of Versailles, a grand opera buffa by John Corigliano from February 7–March 1.
The opera turns history on its head as love attempts to alter the course of destiny. Trapped in the spirit world, the ghost of Marie Antoinette bitterly reflects on her final suffering. Her favourite playwright tries to entertain the melancholy queen with the continuing adventures of his beloved characters from The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro. But Figaro refuses to play by the script, breaking free from the opera-within-the-opera in a surprise bid for a better life.
The new production is directed by Darko Tresnjak and stars Patricia Racette as Marie Antoinette, Patti LuPone as Samira, Christopher Maltman as Beaumarchais, Robert Brubaker as Begearss, Lucas Meachem as Figaro and Lucy Schaufer as Susanna. The libretto is by William M. Hoffman suggested by Beaumarchais’ ‘La Mère coupable.’
The production made possible in part by a generous gift from the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.
Additional support from The Blue Ribbon and National Endowment for the Arts.
Schedule and tickets can be found here
A list of cast members is available here
Read the synopsis of the opera here
The Ghosts of Versailles: A note from the Music Director James Conlon
