Puccini’s tale of passion and tragedy to air at GVT
Greenbrier Valley Theatre (GVT), in partnership with The Met: Live in HD, presents Giacomo Puccini’s adaptation of the novel Manon Lescaut on Saturday, Mar. 5 at 12:55 p.m. The broadcast will run approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes with two intermissions. Dr. James Caplinger, from the University of Charleston, will give a complimentary lecture beginning at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $18 for general admission, $12 for seniors and $10 for children/students. For tickets or more information, call GVT’s Box Office at 304-645-3838 or visit www.gvtheatre.org.
Conducted by Fabio Luisi, this production tells the tragic story of two lovers and their ill-fated affair. Manon Lescaut stars Kristine Opolais in the title role, Roberto Alagna and Brindley Sherratt as her suitors des Grieux and Geronte and Massimo Cavalletti as her brother Lescaut.
“[Alagna] preened with unabashed vigour and made pleasant sounds. Opolais managed to make the tragic heroine both voluptuous and vulnerable, also properly magnetic and pathetic… [Fabio Luisi] balanced passion and poetry sensitively in the pit.” —Financial Times
Opolais has been lauded for her performance in the title role with both the Royal Opera and the Bavarian State Opera, while Alagna has been performing with the Met for over 20 years. Luisi, who made his debut in 2005, has conducted over 185 performances, including Don Carlo, The Merry Widow and Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci.
