Parterre Box

Harry Rose says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Gilligan’s Island</em> Harry Rose says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Gilligan’s Island</em>

I’m cheating by choosing TV over a movie, but I can’t not pick the Hamlet episode of Gilligan’s Island.

Belle Raggio says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Maytime</em> Belle Raggio says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Maytime</em>

It’s a total fraud, but I have always loved Maytime‘s “Csaritza” a fake “MGM” opera based on themes from Tchaikovsky‘s 5th symphony.

Antony and Cleopatra Antony and Cleopatra

A live broadcast from New York

Ortrud Jones says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Excalibur</em> Ortrud Jones says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Excalibur</em>

A brutal, chilling, gory final scene leading to a triumphant and goose bumps inducing final moments.

Turandot Turandot

And a more recent live recording, this time from London featuring Sondra Radvanovsky and SeokJong Baek

Turandot

Zubin Mehta conducts a classic broadcast from 1966 featuring Birgit Nilsson, Franco Corelli, Mirella Freni, and Bonaldo Giaiotti

DC K says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Diva</em> DC K says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Diva</em>

“Ebben, ne andro lontana” sung by Wihelmenia Wiggins Fernandez in Diva is a gorgeous woman in a beautiful dress singing a wonderful area in a legitimate concert venue. Great singing in my favorite French film.

Girls interrupted Girls interrupted

parterre box presents for your comparing pleasure excerpts of three Italian sopranos trying their (poker) hands at Puccini’s Minnie: Carmen Giannatasio, Chiara Isotton, and Anna Pirozzi

David Phillips says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Fitzcarraldo</em> David Phillips says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Fitzcarraldo</em>

Watching Fitzcarraldo at a very young age obviously turned me into a baby opera queen.

Nick of time Nick of time

Bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee is the winner of the $50,000 2025 Richard Tucker Award

Christopher Corwin says you <em>must</em> watch anything by Max Ophuls Christopher Corwin says you <em>must</em> watch anything by Max Ophuls

Max Ophuls, one of the greatest film directors, made masterpieces in French, German, English and Italian, as well as an amusing comedy in Dutch; he also clearly loved opera.

Dealt a bad hand Dealt a bad hand

Brian Jadge will be replaced by Brandon Jovanovich in the upcoming revival of The Queen of Spades, announces the Met press office

Astyanax says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Sunday Bloody Sunday</em> Astyanax says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Sunday Bloody Sunday</em>

The terzettino from Così fan tutte makes an unexpected and unforgettable appearance in John Schlesinger‘s 1971 Sunday Bloody Sunday.

Peter Russell says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Goin’ to Town</em> Peter Russell says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Goin’ to Town</em>

As opera and operetta “had a moment” in major Hollywood motion pictures starring the likes of Lawrence Tibbett, Jeannette MacDonald, and Nelson Eddy during the Great Depression, it made perfect sense that a canny showman like Mae West would want a piece of the action.

Aïda Aïda

A live broadcast from New York

Camille says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Senso</em> Camille says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Senso</em>

Visconti’s masterpiece and one of the great filmed sequences of opera.

Madama Butterfly

Eleonora Burrato and Jonathan Tetelman lead a performance from Berlin recorded last week with Kirill Petrenko conducting

Il trovatore Il trovatore

A performance recorded last fall in New York

Remko Jas says you <em>must</em> watch <em>The Fifth Element</em> Remko Jas says you <em>must</em> watch <em>The Fifth Element</em>

After seeing The Fifth Element I wanted to see Inva Mula live, which I did (Nanetta, two years after the movie) and she certainly did not disappoint!

The other Mr. Brownlee The other Mr. Brownlee

While the thoroughly established Lawrence Brownlee reprises his familiar Count Almaviva in the Met’s Barbiere di Siviglia, parterre box calls your attention to another Mr. Brownlee making waves: Nicholas Brownlee.

Siegfried Siegfried

A live video stream from Atlanta Opera

Darby Fegan says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Philadelphia</em> Darby Fegan says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Philadelphia</em>

One of the most moving scenes in film, accompanied by Callas‘s iconic singing.

Kevin Ng says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Marie Antoinette</em> Kevin Ng says you <em>must</em> watch <em>Marie Antoinette</em>

Sofia Coppola‘s cult classic Marie Antoinette is best known for blending a whimsically baroque visuals with a post-punk score.

A favorite Donizetti performance from Mister Snow A favorite Donizetti performance from Mister Snow

As a beginning freshman in college at CSU Long Beach, I was cast in my first opera – the chorus for L’Elisir d’amore ( performed in English as “The Elixir of Love”).