La Cieca has just heard from one of her habitually infallible moles that the refitting of the Met’s stages for the Robert Lepage Ring began today.

In order to bear the weight of the (estimated) 42-ton structure that serves as the basic unit of the production, the main stage, side and rear stages, and Level C rehearsal space are being reinforced with massive steel beams at a rumored price tag of $50K per. The source also reveals that the estimated completion date for the renovation is July 31, at which time the installation of a new lighting system begins.  The cost? Millions, surely, but how many?