National Theatre and Met Opera Come to the Ridgefield Playhouse This Month

Get ready for back-to-back nights of great opera and theater on the big screen! The Met Opera and National Theatre of London's seasons continue to be broadcast at The Ridgefield Playhouse as part of the FirstLight Home Care Classical Series.

Up next from The Met Opera Encore in HD on Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 12:30pm is the world-premiere production of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts's The Hours, adapted from Michael Cunningham's acclaimed novel. Reneìe Fleming, Kelli O'Hara and Joyce DiDonato take the stage as the opera's trio of heroines in an adaptation called "a stunning triumph for the Met" by Variety. Then, on Monday, December 19, 2022 at 6:30pm from National Theatre in HD, Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke makes her West End debut in The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, in a version by Anya Reiss. This 21st century retelling of Chekhov's tale of love and loneliness is directed by Jamie Lloyd. Both screenings are courtesy of the FirstLight Home Care Classical Series, Underwritten by Liz & Steven Goldstone, and Sabina Slavin, with support from Whistle Stop Bakery.

Up next from The Met Opera Encore in HD is Umberto Giordano's Fedora on Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 12:30pm. The exhilarating drama returns to the Met repertory for the first time in 25 years, with soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the title role. The next presentation from National Theatre in HD at The Ridgefield Playhouse is Much Ado About Nothing, screening on Friday, January 13, 2023 at 7:30pm. This William Shakespeare romcom of sun, sea and mistaken identity is directed by Simon Godwin, with Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd) and John Heffernan (Dracula) leading the cast.

Soprano Reneìe Fleming makes her highly anticipated return to the Met in the world-premiere production of The Hours from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts, adapted from Michael Cunningham's acclaimed novel. Inspired by Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway and made a household name by the Oscar-winning 2002 film version starring Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman, the powerful story follows three women from different eras who each grapple with their inner demons and their roles in society. The opera takes place in a single day. Clarissa is in New York City in 1999. Virginia is in Richmond, England, in 1923. Laura is in Los Angeles in 1949. The exciting Met premiere radiates with star power, with soprano Kelli O'Hara as Laura Brown and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as Virginia Woolf joining Fleming as Clarissa Vaughan as the opera's trio of heroines. Phelim McDermott directs this compelling drama, with Met Music Director Yannick Neìzet-Seìguin on the podium to conduct Puts's poignant and powerful score.

Following his critically acclaimed five-star production of Cyrano de Bergerac, Jamie Lloyd brings Anya Reiss' adaptation of Anton Chekhov's classic play, The Seagull to stage. Captured live from London, Emilia Clarke of Game of Thrones fame makes her West End debut and "is dazzling in this brilliant reimagining." (The i) She appears alongside a cast including Tom Rhys Harries (White Lines), Daniel Monks (The Normal Heart), Sophie Wu (Fresh Meat) and Indira Varma (Game of Thrones). A young woman is desperate for fame and a way out. A young man is pining after the woman of his dreams. A successful writer longs for a sense of achievement. An actress wants to fight the changing of the times. In an isolated home in the countryside, dreams lie in tatters, hopes are dashed, and hearts broken. With nowhere left to turn, the only option is to turn on each other. Don't miss your chance to see Emilia Clarke soar in this "brave, compelling and powerful" (Guardian) production on the big screen!

For more information or to purchase touchless print at home tickets ($25, Members & Seniors $20, Students $15, Children 18 & under FREE), go online at www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org or visit or call the box office at (203) 438-5795. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge Road, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT and is committed to keeping the arts alive and available to all.

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