Boston Lyric Opera to Present WERTHER, Today

Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) unleashes Jules Massenet's melodic, romantic French opera Werther from its late 18th Century German source material, bringing it to an early-20th-Century arrondissement outside Paris as part of BLO's French-inspired season. This new production of Werther opens March 11 for a five-performance run at Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Shubert Theatre in Boston.

Werther marks the company debut for Alex Richardson, a nationally acclaimed tenor on the Metropolitan Opera roster, as the title character. Internationally acclaimed, locally based mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy returns to BLO as Charlotte, her debut in this role. John Hancock makes his BLO debut as Albert. Soprano Rachele Gilmore, who played Zerbinetta in BLO's 2010 production of Ariadne auf Naxos, returns as Sophie.

Loosely based on Goethe's revolutionary 1774 novel The Sorrows of Young Werther - in which an obsessive poet chases a love he cannot have and cannot forget - this production imagines the story as a dying memory after the titular character mortally wounds himself. Director Crystal Manich and set designer/BLO Artistic Advisor John Conklin create a cinematic dreamscape set inspired by the poetic realism of film director Jean Renoir: a seemingly blown-apart room, filled with projections that evoke narrative locations and underscore the epistolary nature of the novel. Werther features lighting design by Paul Hackenmeuller and video design by filmmaker Greg Emetaz. Costume designer is Deborah Newhall. BLO Music Director David Angus conducts.

Werther is the story of a young poet tortured by unrequited love for Charlotte who, engaged to Albert in a promise made to her dying mother, rejects Werther despite her attraction to him. In this production Manich brings into high relief the couples who populate the narrative: Charlotte and Albert; Charlotte and Werther; the Magistrate and his late wife; even the drinking buddies Johann and Schmidt.

"Few composers excel in their musical depiction of passionate love as much as Massenet," saysEsther Nelson, BLO's Stanford Calderwood General & Artistic Director. "This opera features one of his most unforgettable, tender and vivid heroines. BLO's surreal, cinematic production creates a powerful, emotional setting."

THE CAST

Alex Richardson, who steps into the role for the previously announced Joseph Kaiser*, makes his BLO debut as the tortured poet Werther. His additional recent career highlights include Vá?a Kudrjáš in Ká?a Kabanová at Spoleto Festival USA, Szymanowski's King Roger with Charles Dutoit and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and responsibilities for the role of Alwa in a new production of Alban Berg's Lulu at The Metropolitan Opera. Alex's performance as Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby at the Tanglewood 75th Anniversary celebration received critical acclaim, and he has been a featured soloist there numerous times. He appeared as a tenor soloist in the Verdi Requiem at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and in a concert of opera highlights with the Carolina Philharmonic, as well as in Stravinsky's Les Noces at the Colorado College Summer Music Festival.

Mezzo-soprano and Dedham, Mass. resident Sandra Piques Eddy plays Charlotte, the object of Werther's affections. Eddy last was seen at BLO as Varvara in the 2015 production of Kátya Kabanová; she also appeared as Dorabella in Così Fan Tutte and Idamante in Idomeneo. She has appeared at nearly all of the largest opera companies in the U.S. and enjoys an artistic collaboration with Tim Albery at Opera North UK, where she recently sang the lead roles inCarmen and The Coronation of Poppea. Eddy is on the Metropolitan Opera's roster this year; previously she appeared there as Fiona in the premiere production of Nico Muhly's Two Boys, as Olga in The Merry Widow, and as Rosette in Manon.

Making his BLO debut as Albert is baritone John Hancock. A gifted interpreter of contemporary opera, Hancock has created leading roles in several world premieres, notably Lowell Liebermann's The Picture of Dorian Gray at Opéra de Monte Carlo, Stephen Paulus' Heloise and Abelard as an alumni artist at the Juilliard School, and Central Park, a trilogy of American operas at Glimmerglass Opera and New York City Opera (which also was broadcast on PBS' "Great Performances"). The parent of an Emerson College student, Hancock appears regularly with the Metropolitan Opera.

Rachele Gilmore, who sings the role of Sophie, was seen here last in BLO's Ariadne auf Naxosin 2010. She recently appeared as Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at Theâtre Champs-Elysées, as Alice in Unsuk Chin's Alice in Wonderland at Los Angeles Philharmonic and for BBC Symphony Orchestra, and as Gilda in Rigoletto at Opera Omaha.

The Werther cast also includes tenor Jon Jurgens, who sang Tristan in BLO's highly praised 2014 Opera Annex production of The Love Potion; baritone David McFerrin, a BLO regular last seen in 2015's acclaimed In the Penal Colony; and baritone James Demler, who performed in BLO's Kátya Kabanová.

* Under advisement of his team of physicians, Joseph Kaiser withdrew earlier this month from Boston Lyric Opera's presentation of Werther. The tenor is suffering from compromising orthopedic issues in his upper back that require a surgical procedure, and a recuperation of brief immobility that prohibited his ability to perform in this production.

THE CREATIVE TEAM

David Angus (Conductor and Music Director) - David Angus' career has taken him from his home near London to orchestras and opera companies all over the world. Appointed as BLO's music director in 2010, he now conducts the majority of the Company's operas each Season. He also regularly conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra, is honorary conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Flanders, and was previously the music director of Glimmerglass Opera, in addition to regularly working with some of the most celebrated musical organizations around the globe.

Crystal Manich (Stage Director) - A co-artistic director of Opera Omnia in New York, Crystal Manich is a renowned international stage director. She is founder and artistic director of Wanderlust, a group that performs musical dramas in public spaces. Manich has directed musicals and operas at various companies in the United States and abroad including Boston Lyric Opera' 2014 production if I Puritani, Pittsburgh Opera's 2016 premiere of Little Women, Werther at Buenos Aires Lírica (2015), and many more. She has served as Assistant Artistic Director on Cirque du Soleil's Quidam 2009-2010 South American tour. She is a member of the National Michael Chekhov Association.

John Conklin (Set Designer) - John Conklin has designed sets on and off Broadway, at the Kennedy Center, and for many opera companies throughout the U.S. and across the globe including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Seattle Opera. As BLO's Artistic Advisor, Conklin works to develop new supplemental performances, lecture series and community events that enrich audiences' operatic experiences and strengthen the presence of opera in the community.

Deborah Newhall (Costume Designer) - Returning to BLO for Werther, Deborah Newhall's costumes have been seen on the stages of Merrimack Repertory Theatre (The Outgoing Tide), 59E59 Theater's Love Song as well as on screen for David O. Russell's American Hustle, PBS'American Experience: The Abolitionists, and Josh Radnor's Liberal Arts. She previously designed costumes for BLO's productions of Regina, Lost in the Stars, Wuthering Heights and La Bohème in the early 1990s.

Paul Hackenmeuller (Lighting Designer) - Lighting designer Paul Hackenmeuller returns to Boston Lyric Opera having previously worked on several BLO productions, including I Puritani and Tosca. His broad range of work includes lighting musical artists such as Katy Perry, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Tony Bennett, and Justin Timberlake as well as consulting to corporate clients including Target, Carlson Companies, and Wells Fargo. In addition to work with many regional theaters and over 10 Broadway productions, Mr. Hackenmueller's recent and upcoming opera work includes work with The Dallas Opera, Rome Opera, Bucharest National, Minnesota Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Colorado, and Gotham Chamber Opera.

Greg Emetaz (Video Designer) - Greg Emetaz's work as a video designer for the stage includes Dolores Claiborne (World Premiere) at San Francisco Opera, Champion (World Premiere), Bel Canto at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Unsuk Chin's Alice in Wonderland (American Premiere), The Death of Klinghoffer and The Golden Ticket (World Premiere) at Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Ajax at American Repertory Theater, and Wallace Shawn's The Music Teacher. He created the behind-the-scenes documentary of Julie Taymor's feature film The Tempest, as well as promotional documentaries for the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and numerous productions at New York City Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Jason Allen (Wig and Makeup Designer) - Jason Allen has been resident designer with Boston Lyric Opera since 2003. Recent career highlights include The Colored Museum (at Huntington Theatre Company), The Manchurian Candidate (Minnesota Opera), Sense & Sensibility (Dallas Theatre Center), La Fanciulla del West (Minnesota Opera), Tosca (Mill City Summer Opera), Swan Lake (Boston Ballet) and Awake and Sing! (Huntington Theatre Company). His upcoming productions include: The Marriage of Figaro (The Princeton Festival), Carmen (Minnesota Opera) and Kiss Me, Kate (Hartford Stage).

Composed by Jules Massenet, Werther features a libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Boston Lyric Opera's Werther runs March 11, 13, 16, 18, and 20 at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street, Boston, with evening performances at 7:30 p.m.and Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m.

Tickets are $25-$175 and are available online at blo.org/buy-tickets, by phone at 866.348.9738(TTY 888.889.8587), and in person at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Box Office at 270 Tremont Street, Boston. The Box Office is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12 noon to 6 p.m. and at the Shubert Theatre one hour before curtain. Group and student tickets are available through BLO Audience Services at 617.542.6772 or boxoffice@blo.org. Learn more at blo.org.

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