I remember listening to the radio broadcast of the original production in 1977 with Maria Ewing, Regine Crespin, Shirley Verrett, Mignon Dunn, Betsy Norden, and Jean Kraft, but it wasn’t until the TV telecast in 1987 with Jessye Norman and Florence Quivar joining the cast that I realized the greatest of the direction and production. It played not like an opera, but instead as a great play, with a reality that is not often found in lyric theatre. And the striking visuals, from the stark opening to its recall at the conclusion (one of the great “coups de theatre” in all the repertoire) are truly unforgettable. I saw it again in the more recent HD in the movie theatre. Though I prefer it in English, it still works and seems as fresh and quietly revolutionary as when it first premiered.
Darby Fegan agrees:
John Dexter‘s staging of Poulenc‘s Dialogues of the Carmelites for the Metropolitan Opera in 1977 has stood the test of time for its minimalist aesthetic and unsentimental take on this deeply moving opera. The stark staging of the “Salve Regina” closing the opera undoubtedly makes a long-lasting impression on anyone who has seen and heard it.
As does Moe Rear:
During the seventies I saw a number of John Dexter‘s productions at the Met. These included Vespri siciliani (the never ending stairs), the traffic jam Aïda, the spinning tower Rigoletto, and the stark and dark Prophète among others. Then in 1977 at the premiere of the Dialogues of the Carmelites, the curtains rose to reveal the Carmelite nuns face down on the floor in a cross formation. It was stunning, breathtaking, and moving all at the same time. I had never seen anything like it in the opera house. The simple sets came and went or quickly dropped from the ceiling. The interaction between all the characters on stage set a new standard for Met stage acting. It showed that you did not need grand sets to create great theater. It was the work of genius. Sadly, many great production details have been lost with each revival. Still this production of Dialogues of the Carmelites remains a crowning achievement for the Met.
And DC K:
I saw this at the Met the first year it was performed and was floored by the impact of the production. So many years later (!) I saw it in the neighborhood theater in 2019, and was again struck by the impact this famous production produces. This is one production I hope the Met never retires.
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
