A most improper noun
Born on this day in 1899 composer, playwright and actor Noel Coward.
Recent Stories
A dark horse in every closet
Mozart and Donizetti could humanize characters in a farce—Mercadante in I due FIgaro cannot get a handle on them.
Musical comedy girl
Miss Bette Davis starred in the musical revue Two’s Company, which opened on this day in 1952 at the Alvin Theatre to run only 90 performances.
“Jagged” — with sophistication
Jagged Little Pill is as manicured as the kind of Stepfordian society the material supposedly rails against.
These three
On this day in 1918 Puccini’s Il Trittico premiered at the Metropolitan Opera.
Der Rosenkavalier
The Strauss-Hofmannsthal sex comedy returns to the Met tonight at 7:00.
Win a Free Ticket to Opening Night at the Met!
Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen star in the Met's new Macbeth. We're giving away one ticket, so screw your courage to the sticking place and enter now!
Il fascino di una voce
Happy 89th birthday soprano Rosanna Carteri!
Sitting Pretti
The Metropolitan Opera today announces two cast changes for its forthcoming production of Verdi’s La Traviata, opening January 10, 2020.
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).
Diary of the dead
Joyce DiDonato’s take on Winterreise is a conceptual misstep that, song after song, frustratingly dilutes and distracts from an often rewarding musical performance.
Immortal beloved
Trove Thursday presents a 2002 broadcast of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with Camilla Nylund, Iris Vermillion, Jonas Kaufmann and Franz-Josef Selig.
Debutante
Fifty years ago on this day, Jessye Norman made her professional debut as Wagner’s Elisabeth at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin.
Perseverance
Happy 88th birthday actress and singer Rita Moreno.
Calling the shots
Heartbeat Opera has set Der Freischütz in a contemporary era, in a rural locale where gun culture reigns supreme and bullying is natural.
True West
On this day in 1910 Puccini’s La fanciulla del West had its world premiere at the Met.
Veiled threat
On this day in 1905 Richard Strauss’s Salome premiered in Dresden.
Sie kämmt ihr goldenes Haar
On this day in 1949 the Jule Styne musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre, making a star of Carol Channing and running 740 performances.
Give me libertine
Ryan McKinny’s Don is subtler, slyer, smoother, with a sharp wit and sense of dark humor that gives added dimension to the role.
Tosca
The opening night of La Scala features a new production of Tosca featuring Anna Netrebko, Francesco Meli and Luca Salsi.
The mauve decadent
Born on this day in 1900 actress Agnes Moorehead.
