Diane Paulus Directs Opera for American Museum of Natural History

James Sims, BWW's Senior Editor, hasn't figured out what's more entertaining, Hollywood buzz or Broadway chatter. So he's decided to start blogging about both. Visit www.sofasnark.com for daily blogging and follow James on Twitter @SimsJames.

It's not often that my work as an entertainment and Broadway reporter crosses paths with my day job as the New Media Specialist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, so when I heard that an opera was going to be staged in the Museum's Hayden Planetarium, I was excited to check it out.

Turns out the director of Broadway's recent Hair revival, Diane Paulus, decided to direct a production of Il mondo della luna (The World on the Moon) by Joseph Haydn in the Planetarium -- a perfect setting for a show about a nobleman who is fooled, by a fake astronomer, to believe he has been sent to the moon.

Written in 1777, the story of Il mondo della luna remains intriguing to both art lovers and science enthusiasts, thanks in part to the stunning projections displayed on the Planetarium's 180-degree dome throughout the production. I had the opportunity to film the opera's rehearsal and document this cool production.

Check out the video and if you happen to be in New York City between now and January 28, 2010, try scoring a ticket to this intimate opera.