Let it begin here
San Francisco Opera’s revolution-set The Marriage of Figaro may not always strike the right balance, but it certainly speaks to the moment.
Michael Cavanagh
5 pieces since 2015 — at 1 company, most often at San Francisco Opera.
5
pieces
1
company
12
years
By company
San Francisco Opera 2026–27
Music Director Eun Sun Kim is at the center of the repertory, and a long Wagner arc is now officially underway
The Women are like that
A stylish and funny Così fan tutte at LA Opera is a pretty glam affair, according to Patrick Mack.
Those monsters look like us
“This used to be a funhouse… but now it’s full of evil clowns / It’s time to start the countdown…. I’m gonna burn it down”
Let’s twist again
In San Francisco Opera’s new Così fan tutte, the elements that most visibly read as “American” were a penchant for slapstick humor, overcooked blocking, and an abundance of cartoonish period costumes that hobbled the opera’s first act.
Take care of this house
How does one make a performance of standard opera repertoire like Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro feel “fresh?”
All my Edgardos
Well that’s a terrible place to start a review, and it’s not quite fair to SFO’s Lucia di Lammermoor, but…
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).