Macbeth

A four-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei.

The Metropolitan Opera

Production: Louisa Proske

Conductor: Yannick Nezet-Segun

I like to see plays and musicals before the critics tell us what to think of a production. I value the pleasure of discovery at live performances -- good or not-so-good. Frankly, when I have heard the professionals’ commentary on a production, I cannot avoid thinking about their view as I experience a post-opening performance. I value having my experience independently. So, when I’m getting tickets for new plays and musicals, I try to purchase seats for a preview as close to the opening date as possible. But when the highly respected Metropolitan Opera presents a new production of a classic opera, that is not possible. There are no previews and a new production is reviewed a day or two after the opening performance. Yes, there are many clues about an upcoming production: internationally known singers; a famous conductor; direction by an acclaimed opera director. But anyone who has been to an unsatisfying Met performance knows that even with those clues, the new production can be dull and musically disappointing.

So, it was with considerable hope and trepidation that I entered this sacred hall this week. The opening opera of the Met season is a new production of Verdi’s “Macbeth.” The cast was full of admired singers and one of our favorite conductors, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Met’s Music Director. However, this new version was being directed by a first-time-at-the-Met stage director. While this is one of Verdi’s most popular serious operas, the plot is complex and the staging can be unimaginative.

The critics had raved about this new production. The New York Times labeled it a “Critics Pick” -- “a Triumphant Baritone in a Dystopian ‘Macbeth.’” New York magazine declared it “a Bubbling Caldron of Operatic Fun.” TheaterMania asserted that this new director, Louisa Proske, created “a dazzling Met debut which reinvents grand opera for a new generation.”

While a negative review of a production can make you worry whether you will be able to tolerate three hours in a dark hall, an extremely positive review can set you up for disappointment. This production was everything the critics made me anticipate and more! I was totally engaged in the drama and the music – the singers and orchestra – as flawless as a live performance in the middle of the run can be. The renowned lead singers, Quinn Kelsey as Macbeth and Lisa Davidsen as Lady Macbeth lived up to their reputations. Mr. Kelsey fully embraced Shakespeare’s portrait of a would-be leader destroyed by ambition with a voice that gorgeously responded to his character’s deterioration. Ms. Davidson was crafty and conniving with a frequently overpowering soprano (at times a little too shattering). Ryan Speedo Green was a perfect Banquo, Macbeth’s enemy – a commanding Bass-Baritone. The Met choruses are usually in perfect pitch, but in this production they are also dramatically stylized to create a sense of “otherness.” I was lucky enough to be in seat where I could watch Yannick Nézet-Séguin stir and animate Verdi’s music with the Met’s remarkable orchestra. He was having a good time and so was his audience.

For me, however, the star of the evening was the director, Louisa Proske. It was her conception of the staging and her interaction with the designers (and I assume with Mr. Nézet-Séguin) that made every moment of this three-hour classic engaging and insightful. Shakespeare’s plays usually take place in multiple localities, but they were originally produced at The Globe, a theatre that had no realistic or conceptual scenery. Jon Bausor’s fascinating sets appear to be framed in an ancient castle that has been blown apart. Inside that frame are the walls of rooms inside a castle as well as the outdoor domain of citizens and witches. Turntables are commonly used for grand operas at the Met, but rarely do the sets create a such an effective tone for the action. The costumes by Montana Levi Blanco are in a classic Renaissance style that defines each character. Adam Silverman’s lighting creates huge shadows of characters living in the dark. Dancing in grand operas frequently feels like something separate from the action. Orrell Lawyer-Jefferson’s choreography is an essential part of the action -- entertaining but also perceptive.

In a time when the actions of our national leadership is destroying our sense of righteousness, this stunning production reminds the audience to bear in mind the witches’ declaration that the “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”