Peter J. Davison News

Lyric's new grand-scale coproduction of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece West Side Story opens tonight and features Broadway star Corey Cott as Tony and rising star Mikaela Bennett as Maria. Additional lead casting includes Brett Thiele (Riff),Amanda Castro (Anita), Manuel Stark Santos (Bernardo), and Adam Soniak (Action). Performances run through June 2, 2019 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. Tickets are on sale now starting at $29 and can be purchased at lyricopera.org/wss or by calling 312-827-5600.

Acclaimed Broadway performer Corey Cott and rising star Mikaela Bennett will headline Lyric Opera of Chicago's premiere of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking American musical West Side Story, presented from May 3 - June 2, 2019 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago (press opening May 4, 2019).

Lyric's coproduction of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's West Side Story opens next month and features Broadway star Corey Cott as Tony and rising star Mikaela Bennett as Maria.

Lyric's coproduction of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's West Side Story opens next month and features Broadway star Corey Cott as Tony and rising star Mikaela Bennett as Maria. We've got a first look at the company in action, check out the photos below!

The Chicago premiere of Lyric's new coproduction of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece West Side Story features nearly 100 artists from Chicago and across the country.

Acclaimed Broadway performer Corey Cott and rising star Mikaela Bennett will headline Lyric Opera of Chicago's premiere of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking American musical West Side Story, presented from May 3 - June 2, 2019 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago (press opening May 4, 2019).

Lyric Opera of Chicago will hold auditions for dancer/singer/actors for the 2018-19 Season production of Leonard Bernstein's musical theater masterpiece West Side Story. Directed by Francesca Zambello, this new co-production is shared by Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and the Glimmerglass Festival. James Lowe is the conductor and the original Jerome Robbins' choreography will be recreated by Julio Monge. Eric Sean Fogel is the associate director. The production design is contemporary, with sets by Peter J. Davison, costumes by Jessica Jahn and lighting by Mark McCullough.

Even if you've never seen an opera, you know at least one or two of the tunes from Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata, which has become one of the most popular modern representations for classical opera. While the work was jeered at the time of its premiere, this tragic tale has aged beautifully-with a lush score featuring some of the greatest duets. The Washington National Opera's newest production injects new life into this piece, thanks to smart directorial choices by WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello and a top-notch creative team.

Lyric Opera of Kansas City steps off its 2018-2019 season with a bravura interpretation of 1957's "West Side Story." It is difficult to say enough good things about this Lyric Opera of Kansas City presentation.

Yes, it's still the Leonard Bernstein centennial and what better way to celebrate than at the Glimmerglass Festival with WEST SIDE STORY. It remains a unique creation, the collaboration of four geniuses: Bernstein himself, of course, Jerome Robbins (choreographer-director), Arthur Laurents (book) and then-newcomer Stephen Sondheim (lyricist/co-lyricist). Directed here with a deft hand by Francesca Zambello, the Festival's Artistic & General Director, and choreographed by Julio Monge

None of the three pieces that I saw at the Glimmerglass Festival near Cooperstown, NY, last weekend was exactly what it seemed to be: Is CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN a fairy story or a cautionary tale? Is WEST SIDE STORY simply in a class of its own? Does SILENT NIGHT find that war is hell—or that hell is simply other people? Let's begin with SILENT NIGHT.

Cincinnati Opera, today announced the repertoire and casting for Cincinnati Opera's 2019 Summer Festival, which will run from June 13 to July 28. The company's 99th season begins with a charming production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro in Music Hall's Springer Auditorium.

Daniel Evans and Rachel Tackley said: 'We're enormously grateful for the warm welcome extended to us by our local community and those visiting from further afield during our first season, which welcomed Chichester's largest-ever Festival audience.

A season filled with unforgettable music, thrilling singers from around the world, and stirring new productions goes on sale via subscription Wednesday, February 7 at 10am.  Seven new and new-to-Chicago productions, including four Lyric premieres, will engage and entertain audiences from October 2018 through June 2019. 

Tracy Oliver will adapt the hit 1996 film FIRST WIVES CLUB for a half-hour TV series, heading to the Paramount Network and Paramount TV. A reboot of the movie was originally in development and picked up by TV Land.

The Glimmerglass Festival opened its 2017 season last night with The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess.  Due to popular demand, The Glimmerglass Festival has added a performance to the Festival schedule on Tuesday, August 15, at 8 p.m. in the Alice Busch Opera Theater.

The Glimmerglass Festival has released the details of its 2018 schedule. For a second year, the Festival's programming will explore themes of home and country.

I first heard tenor Roberto Alagna in the days when he was being touted as “The 4th Tenor”—chutzpah that only a record company could come up with, placing him in the hallowed company of Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti. Fast forward more than 20 years and he's still here. As Cyrano, the soldier-poet with a nose that embarrasses him, in Francesca Zambello's attractive production, Alagna was wonderful—perhaps the best I've ever seen him.

The Glimmerglass Festival, which presents four mainstage productions of opera and musical theater as well as many events every summer, has released the details of its 2017 schedule.

Aktuell kann man am Theater St.Gallen das Musical Don Camillo & Peppone von Michael Kunze und Dario Farina in seiner Weltpremiere erleben. In Koproduktion mit den Vereinigten Buhnen Wien bringt das Theater St.Gallen die zwei beruhmten Streithahne aus den gleichnamigen Kultfilmen und mit ihnen eine ganze Dorfgemeinschaft voll sudlandischer Lebensfreude auf die Buhne. Entstanden ist ein Musical fur die ganze Familie uber menschliches Miteinander, Toleranz und die Kraft der Versohnung. Die Hauptrollen werden von bekannten Musicalstars wie Maya Hakvoort (Die alte Gina), Andreas Lichtenberger (Don Camillo) und Frank Winkels (Peppone) verkorpert. Der Schweizer Schauspieler und Kabarettist Walter Andreas Muller halt als Grossvater Nonno nicht nur das ganze Dorf, sondern vor allem die Lehrerin Laura Castelli (Femke Soetenga) auf Trab. Ab Fruhjahr 2017 wird das Musical dann im Ronacher in Wien als osterreichische Erstauffuhrung zu sehen sein.