In January, diverse channels announced their intentions to perform American musical theatre. The Lyric Opera of Chicago revealed that Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel in Spring 2015 will be third in the five-year project funded by the National Endowment for the Arts; meanwhile, NBC announced intentions to produce a live telecast of Peter Pan next holiday season, following The Sound of Music last December.
Lyric’s extravagant Sound of Music this spring, starring dramatic soprano Christine Brewer as the Mother Abbess, could not be more different from NBC’s telecast. That production, starring Carrie Underwood, was panned by critics and the public alike, but was an incredible ratings success with nearly 22 million viewers.
Both projects have a great deal of ambiguity. Is Lyric seeking to uplift musical theatre to operatic caliber or to cater to broader interests? Is NBC trying to reinvigorate American musical theater classics (or perhaps reintroduce NBC Television Opera Theatre?) or just to score higher rankings?
PN readers can notice more crossovers between opera, musical theatre, and pop culture by attending the Met: Live in HD encore broadcast of Borodin’s Prince Igor (6:30PM, Mar. 5), which served as the inspiration for much of Kismet’s score, including “Strangers in Paradise.”
Thanks to Fathom Events, PN is giving away a pair of tickets to this production and both the live (11:55AM, Mar. 15) and the encore (6:30PM, Mar. 19) broadcasts of Massenet’s Werther at the Regal Cantera 17 in Warrenville.
To enter to win tickets, please email emilyriederer@gmail.com with your name and address.
For a complete schedule of the Met: Live in HD season and to find a theater near you, visit www.FathomEvents.com.
