Town Hall Theater Broadcasts The MET's LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN Today

A beautiful mechanical doll. An irresistible courtesan. A visit from beyond the grave-or is it just an illusion? All these, plus an imaginative hero who never gets the girl, show up in The Met's new production of Jacques Offenbach's masterwork. Les Contes d'Hoffman has been inspired by a variety of influences that reflect the opera's multiple dramatic layers-including Kafka, classic Hollywood cinema, and even Woody Allen. Town Hall Theater will broadcast this new production today, January 31st at 1pm.

Like Kafka and Allen, the real-life E.T.A. Hoffmann was a writer-the creator of The Nutcracker as well as the stories on which Les Contes d'Hoffmann ("The Tales of Hoffmann") is based. But in the operatic version, Hoffmann doesn't simply write stories: he lives them. That's why, beneath the enchantment and the quirky robotics, Hoffmann is a psychological drama. Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher (South Pacific) returns after the triumph of his Barber of Seville to direct. He calls Hoffmann a "magical journey in which the title character works out different manifestations of his psyche."

Each of Hoffmann's tales is a stop along the way, adding up to a complex narrative structure. "Rather than a linear narrative," Sher explains, "the opera is made up of poetic representations of the state of the character's mind." Four villains, all played by the same performer, are obviously one: Hoffmann's nemesis. The same may be true, psychologically, of the four women Hoffmann loves, though the Met's production highlights their individuality, casting three singers in four roles. And then there's Hoffmann's muse, who, right at the beginning, announces that she's going undercover as the writer's young (male) sidekick.

Vittorio Grigolo and Matthew Polenzani take turns playing the tortured poet and unwitting adventurer of the title. The roles of the three heroines are shared by an impressive lineup of singing actresses, including Hibla Gerzmava, Susanna Phillips, Erin Morley, Audrey Luna, Christine Rice, and Elena Maximova. Thomas Hampson sings the Four Villains, and James Levine and Yves Abel conduct Offenbach's sparkling score.

Les Contes d'Hoffmann will be shown on THT's big screen on Saturday, January 31th at 1pm. Tickets are $24/$10 students.