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Boston Lyric Opera takes off in 2004-2005
BY JEFFREY GANTZ
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Besides being T.S. Eliot’s you-know-what month, and in Boston the month of marathons and various Shakespeare’s-birthday celebrations, April is the month when arts organizations announce their programs for the following season. Boston Lyric Opera had to downsize to a three-production subscription season for 2003-2004, and the bad news is that there’ll be just three operas for 2004-2005. The good news is that BLO is teaming up with the Wang Center for the Performing Arts for a fourth production, the East Coast premiere of Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince, which is, yes, based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Le petit prince. Nicholas Wright wrote the libretto, Francesca Zambello, who stage-directed the original production at Houston Grand Opera last year, will do this one; BLO music director Stephen Lord will conduct; and baritones Keith Phares and Hugh Russell will alternate as the Pilot (the trebles for the Prince have yet to be announced). Performances, all at the Shubert Theatre, will be February 16, 17, and 18 at 7 p.m., February 19 at 2 and 7 p.m., February 20 and 23 at 2 p.m., February 24 and 25 at 7 p.m., February 26 at 2 and 7 p.m., and February 27 at 2 p.m. Tickets, at $40 to $75, are on sale now; call (800) 447-7400, or visit www.telecharge.com, or drop by the Shubert box office. Of course, if you’re a BLO subscriber (or a Wang Center member), you can get priority seating for The Little Prince and a 20 percent discount. BLO is describing 2004-2005 as its "Flights of Fancy" season, one that "creates an exciting itinerary for fun, travel, and adventure." It kicks off with Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri, the production that was bumped from the current "Italian" season. Dean Williamson will conduct, BLO artistic director Leon Major will stage-direct, and the cast will include mezzo Phyllis Pancella as Isabella, tenor Lawrence Brownlee as Lindoro, bass Eric Owens as Mustafà, baritone Gary Lehman as Taddeo, and baritone Christopher Hutton as Ali. Performances are November 3 and 5 at 7:30 p.m., November 7 at 3 p.m., November 9 and 12 at 7:30 p.m., November 14 at 3 p.m., and November 16 at 7:30 p.m. Next up is Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, with Stephen Lord conducting, James Robinson stage-directing, and a cast that includes soprano Maria Kanyova as Tatiana, baritone Mel Ulrich as Onegin, tenor Garrett Sorenson as Lensky, mezzo Elizabeth Batton as Olga, and bass-baritone John Cheek as Gremin. Performances are March 30 and April 1 at 7:30 p.m., April 3 at 3 p.m., April 5 and 8 at 7:30 p.m., April 10 at 3 p.m., and April 12 at 7:30 p.m. The season will conclude with another East Coast premiere, Jonathan Dove’s "comic hit" Flight, which premiered in 1998 at Glyndebourne Opera. It’s about "travelers stranded in an airport: a married couple taking a trip in hopes of revitalizing their marriage, flight attendants in a torrid affair crossing the world to see each other, a neurotic pregnant woman deciding at the last minute not to travel with her aloof husband, and two strangers looking for love. William Lumpkin will conduct, Colin Graham will stage-manage, and the cast will include soprano Mary Wilson as the Flight Controller, countertenor David Walker as the Refugee, tenor Brandon Jovanovich as Bill, soprano Cynthia Watters as Tina, contralto Myrna Paris as an Older Woman, mezzo Angela Horn and baritone Carleton Chambers as the Flight Attendants, mezzo Mary Ann McCormick as the Minsk Woman, baritone Thomas Barrett as the Minsk Man, and bass David M. Cushing as the Immigration Officer. Performances are April 27 and 29 at 7:30 p.m., May 1 at 3 p.m., May 3 and 6 at 7:30 p.m., May 8 at 3 p.m., and May 10 at 7:30 p.m. All performances will be at the Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street in the Theater District. For subscription information, call (617) 542-6772. Single tickets for L’Italiana in Algeri, Eugene Onegin, and Flight will go on sale September 7.
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