Video: Michael Mayer Is Digging Into a New Kind of AIDA at the Met

Tony winner Michael Mayer grew up with a fascination for ancient Egypt, and it's an interest he is putting to good use this winter. Following his acclaimed work just last year on Broadway's Swept Away, Mayer has moved uptown to bring new life to Verdi's Aida at the Metropolitan Opera.

"I love [this Aida]. It's been a long time coming- we worked on it for many years, even prior to when it was originally supposed to open in 2020," he explained to BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge. "The COVID happened and we kept putting it off, but it's finally here! When I was there on opening night and watching it all play out, watching all of our ideas really fulfilled by our amazing designers, choreographer, and the  phenomenal company of performers was really exciting."

Soprano Angel Blue makes her long-awaited Met role debut as the Ethiopian princess torn between love and country, one of opera’s defining roles. Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium for Mayer’s spectacular new staging, which brings audiences inside the towering pyramids and gilded tombs of ancient Egypt with intricate projections and dazzling animations.

"I knew I wanted to [set ours] in ancient Egypt, but I also wanted to acknowledge our history with the opera and with Egypt. So I had this idea to allow the audience to have some little critical distance between the story itself and the way that we tell that story historically. So I thought, 'If we're excavating this tomb in the same way that we're excavating this story, we can all be in it together.'"

The good news is that you need not be in New York City to experience the new production. The show will be presented live in cinemas on Saturday, January 25 as a part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe. Get your tickets today!