Divas! Passion! Puppets! Nine Metropolitan Opera Productions Broadway Fans Should Look Out for This Season

The 2014-15 Metropolitan Opera season kicks off on September 22, starting with the fancy opening night gala for a new production of Le Nozze di Figaro, directed by Richard Eyre. Following the Mozart comedy are 25 equally lavish stagings, including five additional Met premiere productions. From some favorite Broadway faces, to big-name directors to recognizable narratives, here are just some of the operas that fans of the Great White Way should consider checking out. Whether you’re looking for thrilling music, breathtaking sets or an unexpected take on a personal fave, this season is not one to disappoint.

Star Quality

The Death of Klinghoffer – Begins October 20
Before the season has even begun, this opera by John Adams has caused quite the stir. South Pacific Tony winner Paulo Szot returns to the opera stage for this Met premiere, which details the accounts of the Palestinian hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985. The production from Tony-winning War Horse director Tom Morris serves as a haunting reminder that the dramatic themes that opera depicts are in no way antiquated. Following Doctor Atomic and Nixon in China, this is the third opera by Adams to be staged by the Met in the past seven years.


The Merry Widow – Begins December 31
You have opera greats Renée Fleming and Nathan Gunn, as well as a very special Great White Way darling making her Met debut: Tony nominee Kelli O’Hara (who starred opposite Gunn in the New York Philharmonic’s Carousel). Five-time Tony winner Susan Stroman directs and choreographs the brand new English-language production of the Lehár operetta, which features costumes by six-time Tony winner William Ivey Long. Bring in the New Year with opera and Broadway divas, can-can dancers and some fabulous hats!

Big Names at the Helm

Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) – Begins October 6
A perfect Halloween-time treat! After playing a holiday engagement last year in a 90-minute English-language condensed version, Tony winner Julie Taymor’s whimsical take on Mozart’s classic opera returns to the Met in its full-length, and in German. In true Taymor fashion, enchanting puppets and costumes abound, from bears to birds to a genuinely terrifying Queen of the Night. That aria will haunt your dreams.


Il Barbiere di Siviglia – Begins November 18
Figaro, Figaro, Figaro! The Barber of Seville, regarded as one of the most beloved comic operas (opere buffe), returns to Lincoln Center this fall. Tony winner Bartlett Sher made his Met debut with this lighthearted production back in 2006. As with many great operas, there are mistaken identities, trickery and a love triangle. And like many great comedies, there are plenty of laughs, colorful characters and a happy(ish) ending. Rossini’s iconic score is one you can’t help but bounce along to.


Lucia di Lammermoor – Begins March 16, 2015
Broadway fans love a crazy diva, and Lucia is the ultimate. Tony-winning director Mary Zimmerman’s ghostly production returns to the Met for the third time, after opening the 2007-08 lineup and playing an encore the following season and in 2011. This time, rising star Albina Shagimuratova takes center stage as the tragic, blood-soaked bride. With an electrifying Act III coloratura mad scene, this Donizetti classic is Women Well Past the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. And let's face it: We rarely ever get to hear a glass harmonica live on Broadway.

Familiar Stories

Macbeth – Begins September 24
Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, who opened last season with Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, will go Italian and show off her fiery Verdi chops once again opposite Željko Lučić. The Shakespearean tale is transported to a 20th century warzone in the eerie Adrian Noble production; daggers are still in play, but so are rifles and jeeps. Lucia may be cray, but as well all know, Lady M. is right up there. And she sleepwalks.


Aida – Begins October 30
Before there was “Easy as Life,” there was “Ritorna Vincitor.” The classic love triangle returns to the Met in this epic experience—if your view of opera involves enormous casts and elaborate sets, Sonja Frisell’s archetypal production is not to be missed—even 26 years after it first hit the Met stage. This season, opera legend Plácido Domingo will conduct the thunderous Verdi score at select performances.


La Bohème – Begins September 23
Obsessed with Rent, but never heard Musetta’s Waltz in its original Puccinian context? Here’s your chance. This season, Daphne Rubin-Vega Kristīne Opolais will sing the role of Mimi. Earlier this year, the Latvian soprano made two Met role debuts in less than 24 hours: Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly and Mimi in Bohème, stepping in for the latter with just a few hours’ notice. Now, she’ll be able to sing it with some time to properly prepare. She shares the role with Angela Gheorghiu and Ekaterina Scherbachenko. The lavish Franco Zeffierelli production is quintessential grand opera spectacle.


Carmen – Begins September 30
After Aida and Boheme, Bizet’s masterpiece rounds out the ABCs of standard operatic repertoire. The divine mezzos Elīna Garanča and Anita Rachvelishvili sing the role of the doomed gypsy in Richard Eyre’s stunning production, which transports the story forward a century to 1930s Seville, during the heart of the Spanish Civil War. Singing along is heavily frowned upon at the Met anywhere, but its many recognizable arias make Carmen a must for opera buffs and novices alike.

The complete 2014-15 Metropolitan Opera lineup is as follows:
Le Nozze di Figaro, begins September 22*
La Bohème, begins September 23
Macbeth, begins September 24
Carmen, begins September 30
Die Zauberflöte, begins October 6
The Death of Klinghoffer, begins October 20*
Aida, begins October 30
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, begins November 10
Il Barbiere di Siviglia, begins November 18
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, begins December 2
La Traviata, begins December 11
Hansel and Gretel, begins December 18
The Merry Widow, begins December 31*
Les Contes d’Hoffmann, begins January 12
Iolanta/Bluebeard’s Castle, begins January 26*
Don Giovanni, begins February 4
La Donna del Lago, begins February 16*
Manon, begins March 9
Lucia di Lammermoor, begins March 16
Ernani, begins March 20
Don Carlo, begins March 30
Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, begins April 14*
Un Ballo in Maschera, begins April 23
The Rake’s Progress, begins May 1

*New Production