Houston Grand Opera brings one of opera’s most dazzling spectacles to the Brown Theater at the Wortham Theater Center, as Gounod’s Faust opens on Friday, October 30, just in time for Halloween weekend. David McVicar’s celebrated production, first seen at London’s Royal Ballet and Opera, fills the stage with 1870s Paris glamour: sparkling cabarets, can-can dancers, breathtaking sets and some of the most thrilling music ever written for the stage, from the famous Soldiers’ Chorus to Marguerite’s glittering Jewel Song.
The cast is a parade of exciting debuts. Tenor Matthew Polenzani makes his role debut as Faust, soprano Pretty Yende makes both her Houston Grand Opera and role debuts as the pure-hearted Marguerite, and celebrated bass John Relyea makes his company debut as the devilishly charming Mephistopheles. Baritone Sean Michael Plumb returns as Valentin, Butler Studio alumna Sun-Ly Pierce sings Siebel, and conductor Giacomo Sagripanti leads the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra and Chorus in his company debut, with Peter Relton reviving McVicar’s staging.
Performances continue November 1, 7, 13 and 15, sung in French with projected English translation. The November 13 show is extra special: Houston Grand Opera’s first-ever Masquerade Night invites audiences to arrive in costume for special entertainment and cocktails, and it doubles as an Under 40 Friday, with $40 Orchestra seats for younger opera lovers. It is a joyful, larger-than-life night out in the heart of Houston’s Theater District.
Photo: Houston Grand Opera
