The Metropolitan Opera – Verdi: Macbeth

The Metropolitan Opera – Verdi: Macbeth

Verdi’s admiration for Shakespeare led to such masterpieces as Othello and Falstaff, and if the earlier Macbeth isn’t on their exalted level it’s still a powerfully dramatic opera that hews closely to the original’s story line. The MET’s production retains the dark aura of the opera while updating it to a vaguely post-modern context. So the witches are bag ladies in various stages of decrepitude, with children in tow. The Banquet Scene features lowered chandeliers, a plethora of chairs, and a slew of extras dressed in tuxedos and party gowns. Macbeth sports a leather coat, the soldiers are in drab brown uniforms and seem to have fingers on their triggers even when they’re supposed to be in non-threatening situations. Director Adrian Noble also has Lady Macbeth do an inordinate amount of writhing around and singing from a lying-down position, adding to the feeling that a less interventionist directorial hand might have generated more impact.

Top Cast

Željko Lučić

As Macbeth

John Relyea

As Banquo

Maria Guleghina

As Lady Macbeth

Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs

As Lady-in-waiting to Lady Macbeth

Dimitri Pittas

As McDuff, Thane of Fife

Mary Jo Heath

As Self - Special Guest Interviewer

Richard Hobson

As A Servant of Macbeth

Raymond Renault

As Duncan, King of Scotland

Russell Thomas

As Malcolm, Duncan's Son

Adam Hauser Piñero

As Fleance, Banquo's Son