Andrew Porter tells us about a fascinating concatenation of opera, astronomy and science fiction. The Gotham Chamber Opera will be performing Joseph Haydn’s opera Il Mondo della Luna (The World on the Moon) in a limited run at the American Museum of Natural History.
Il Mondo della Luna, written in 1777, was Haydn’s favorite. It tells the story of “a nobleman who refuses to let his daughters marry their true loves. With the help of a fake astronomer and a sleeping potion, the daughters trick their father into believing he’s been sent to the moon, where he discovers they do things differently, especially when it comes to courtship. On the moon, women are allowed to choose their own husbands.”
The show, in the Hayden Planetarium, will be a first for the historic dome. It will be “transformed into an intimate opera house using a 180-degree dome and projections courtesy of NASA. Taking advantage of breakthroughs in laser and light technology, Il Mondo della Luna will fuse live opera and stargazing, immersing the audience in a completely new kind of theatrical event—an out-of-this-world experience for opera lovers, science buffs, and theatergoers alike. The production will be directed by Diane Paulus, director of Hair, which received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, and whom Opera News calls one of the top 25 names in US opera.”
The five performances will be on 20, 25, 26, and 28 January at 8PM, with the opening night gala on the 19th at 7:30PM. Tickets are $30-$125, except for the opening night gala (which includes an after-party). Tickets for that night are $500, $1,000, and $2,500.
For more information, including how to purchase tickets, see this page.
Credits:
Conductor: Neal Goren
Director: Diane Paulus
Video and Production Design: Philip Bussmann
Costume Design: Anka Lupes
Hair and Makeup Design: Hagen Linss
Associate Director: Andrew Eggert
Cast:
Clarice: Hanan Alattar
Flaminia: Albina Shagimuratova
Lisetta: Rachel Calloway
Ecclitico: Nicholas Coppolo
Cecco: Matthew Tuell
Ernesto: Timothy Kuhn
Buonafede: Marco Nisticò