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Five Not-to-Miss European and NYC Shows Back on Stage This Fall

Five Not-to-Miss European and NYC Shows Back on Stage This Fall

Five Not-to-Miss European and NYC Shows Back on Stage This Fall

Opera

The Barber of Seville
In its 200 years of existence, Gioachino Rossini’s comedic opera about a count who will stop at nothing to win his beloved’s hand and the barber he enlists to help him has received hundreds, if not thousands, of treatments. This new production by German director Herbert Fritsch will focus on the unquestioning power of the nobility over its vassals. Vienna State Opera; Sept. 28-Oct. 14

Fire Shut Up in My Bones
Kicking off the season, New York’s Met will stage its first opera by a Black composer, Terence Blanchard, the prolific jazz musician who scored Black KkKLansman. He and librettist Kasi Lemmons based it on Charles M. Blow’s memoir of that name. The plot follows baritone Will Liverman as Charles, as he navigates issues of race, violence, and community. Opening night will be broadcast live in Times Square. The Metropolitan Opera; Sept. 27-Oct. 23

Five Not-to-Miss European and NYC Shows Back on Stage This Fall
Five Not-to-Miss European and NYC Shows Back on Stage This Fall

Theater

Trouble in Mind 
Alice Childress became the first African-American woman to win an Obie after Trouble in Mind premiered in 1955. The play-within-a-play follows the rehearsals for an anti-lynching Broadway production, following its Black characters as they endure the bigotry of their white director. Despite the play’s acclaim, it’s never been seen on Broadway. Stage star LaChanze will play Wiletta, the show’s lead. The American Airlines Theatre; Oct. 29-Jan. 9

The Ocean at the End of the Lane
After selling out at London’s National Theatre, the play, adapted by Joel Horwood from Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name, will make its West End debut. Translating a fantasy world, even one set in an England of the not-so-distant past, is never easy. But with the help of a wildly creative set, the play manages to be both magical and believable–and totally enchanting. The Duke of York’s Theatre; previews start on Oct. 23

Five Not-to-Miss European and NYC Shows Back on Stage This Fall
Five Not-to-Miss European and NYC Shows Back on Stage This Fall

Ballet

Rotunda
This work by Justin Peck, the ballet’s resident choreographer and artistic adviser, premiered in 2020 just weeks before Covid shut down the city. Now the 25-minute dance, set to music commissioned by avant-garde composer Nico Muhly, is back. Drawing on the lines of Balanchine—Peck is a former City Ballet soloist—but compellingly loose and relaxed, the choreography is meant to evoke the camaraderie among dancers. The New York City Ballet; Oct. 5-16

The Red and the Black
Former dancer Pierre Lacotte became famous as a choreographer for his ability to resurrect romantic ballets whose steps had been thought lost to time. For this premiere, Lacotte has created a dance based on the Stendhal novel. Set to music by Jules Massenet, the narrative follows a provincial teen (played on various nights by four of the Paris ballet’s stars) who claws his way up the social ladder, then watches his gains disappear. Paris Opera Ballet; Oct. 15-Nov. 4

Five Not-to-Miss European and NYC Shows Back on Stage This Fall

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