Summer Movies at Sarasota Opera House to begin Saturday, June 5th
"Classic Movies at the Opera House” Saturday night series to open with “La Cage aux Folles,” Sunday matinees “HD at the Opera House” to open with “Der Rosenkavalier”
May 21, 2021
Contact: Lana Mullen, Communications Coordinator
(941) 328-1322
[email protected]
Sarasota, FL—Sarasota Opera is pleased to announce the initial lineup for the 2021 summer movie series, which will open with “La Cage aux Folles” on Saturday, June 5th at 7:30 pm, with tickets at $10. The HD at the Opera House series that features productions of opera and ballet from around the world will open on Sunday, June 6th with the opera film of Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, with tickets at $20, and $18 for subscribers. Additional screenings are detailed below, and more titles will be announced for August and September at a later date. All seating is reserved at 50% capacity of the theater. Masks are required for those who are not vaccinated and recommended for all others. Ticket buyers are encouraged to purchase tickets before arriving at the theater. Information and tickets can be found online at SarasotaOpera.org or by calling (941) 328-1300. Sarasota Opera subscribers who wish to receive the 10%discount of HD at the Opera House tickets must contact the Sarasota Opera box office directly. Sarasota Opera House is located at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.
Saturday, June 5th at 7:30pm
La Cage aux Folles
A middle-aged gay couple who are the manager and star performer at a glitzy drag club in Saint-Tropezagree to hide their sexual identities, along with their flamboyant personalities and home decor, when ultraconservative parents come for a visit. This elegant comic scenario kicks off a wild and warmhearted French farce about the importance of nonconformity and being true to oneself.The 1979 classic is directed by Edouard Molinaroand stars Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Serrault, and Claire Maurier. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Sunday, June 6th at 1:30pm
Der Rosenkavalier
Richard Strauss’s incandescent romantic comedy is placed in a sumptuous setting of timeless elegance directed by Herbert Wernicke and conducted by Christian Thielemann. Staged at the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, Germany, the cast includes Renee Fleming, Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Franz Hawlata, and Jonas Kaufmann. Running time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Saturday, June 19, 7:30pm
Marnie
In this Alfred Hitchcock classic from 1964, kleptomaniac Marnie Edgar—who moves from job to job and has a pathological fear of the color red—is caught stealing by her latest employer Mark Rutland. Instead of turning her over to the police, Mark forces Marnie to marry him, convinced that he can get to the bottom of her psychosis. Starring Tippi Hedren, Sean Connery, and Martin Gabel. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Sunday, June 20, 1:30pm
The Ninth Symphony Ballet by Béjart
Maurice Béjart’s compelling staging of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has been enchanting audiences worldwide since its inception and its idea of universal brotherhood remains highly topical. “Alle Menschen werden Brüder” (All men will be brothers) is the powerful message communicated bythe unforgettable music and choreography. From the stage of the NHK Hall in Tokyo, 250 dancers and musicians send this message out into the world. Featuring the Béjart Ballet Lausanne Ensemble, The Tokyo Ballet, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta. Running time: 1 hour, 28 minutes
Saturday, July 10, 7:30pm
West Side Story
Set to a score by Leonard Bernstein, the 1961 film “West Side Story” transports the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet to New York City in the 50s. The two feuding families are replaced by brawling street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Though they come from rival gangs, Maria and Tony meet at a dance, and no one can stop their love. Will their passion carry them through a battle that threatens to destroy the people they love? Directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, starring Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, and Richard Beymer. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.
Sunday, July 11, 1:30pm
La Clemenza di Tito
Regarded by many as Mozart’s opera seria masterpiece, La Clemenza di Tito was composed in the summer of 1791—a few months before Mozart’s death—as a commission for the coronation of Emperor Leopold II as King of Bohemia in Prague. He supposedly composed the opera in just 18 days. This production is from the Zürich Opera House, conducted by Frans Welser-Möst with stage direction by Jonathan Miller, starring Jonas Kaufmann, Eva Mei, Vesselina Kasarova, Malin Hartelius, Liliana Nikiteanu, and Günther Groissböck. Running time: 2 hours, 4 minutes.
Saturday, July 24, 7:30pm
Moonstruck
In her Academy Award winning role, Cher plays Loretta, an unlucky-in-love bookkeeper whose feelings about her engagement to the staid and timid Johnny (Danny Aiello) are thrown into question after she meets his hot-blooded brother, Ronny, played by Nicolas Cage. One night at the opera changes everything, as this enchanting 1987 romantic comedy unfolds to passionate Puccini melodies. Directed by Norman Jewisonand also starring Olympia Dukakis. Running time: 1 hour, 43 minutes.
Sunday, July 25, 1:30pm
Manon Lescaut
Born of his passion for Puccini, Riccardo Chailly’s journey through historic operas features an exciting new entry, the earliest version of Manon Lescaut–which debuted in Turin in 1893 –on the stage of Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy. Standing out among the many differences is the final concertato of the first act, omitted from the opera before its 1894 premiere at La Scala, in which Puccini shows off his stunning orchestral virtuosity. With María José Siri, Massimo Cavalletti, and Roberto Aronica. Conducted by Riccardo Chailly with stage direction by David Pountney. Running time: 2 hours, 12 minutes.
Saturday, August 7, 7:30pm
Pillow Talk
When Jan Morrow, an uptight interior decorator, is forced to share a party line with carefree playboy Brad Allen, there’s no connection between them. But when the two accidentally meet, the smitten Brad pretends to be a wealthy Texan, wooing Jan with seductive late-night calls. Their phone line is sizzling until Jan discovers her caller’s true identity and calls his bluff. Pillow Talk, from 1959, stars Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall, and Thelma Ritter. Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes.
Sunday, August 8, 1:30pm
Orphée et Eurydice
Juan Diego Flórez dazzled audiences and critics alike when he played the virtuoso role of Orphée in Milan’s Teatro alla Scala’s first ever staging of Gluck’s opera in its French version. “Juan Diego Flórez delivered a lesson in style. His tone is darker and his projection more self-effacing than in the past, but ... his agility and legato are utterly thrilling. The ovations were never-ending.” (Corriere della sera). Also starring Christiane Kargand Fatma Said. Conducted by Michele Mariotti, with stage direction by Hofesh Shechter & John Fulljames. Running time: 2 hours, 9 minutes.
About Sarasota Opera
Sarasota Opera is entering its 62nd Season of bringing world-class opera to Florida’s Gulf Coast. The company was launched in 1960, when a touring chamber opera company came to the historic 320-seat Asolo Theater on the grounds of Sarasota’s Ringling Museum of Art. The following year the Asolo Opera Guild was formed to present the season. By 1974 the Asolo Opera was mounting its own productions at the theater. Recognizing the need for a theater more conducive to full-scale opera, the company purchased the former A.B. Edwards Theater which in 1984 (as the Sarasota Opera House) became home to the newly renamed Sarasota Opera. The building underwent a $20 million renovation and rehabilitation in 2007 enhancing audience amenities, while updating the technical facilities, including increasing the size of the orchestra pit. The theater, which reopened in March 2008, has been called “one of America’s finest venues for opera” by Musical America.
Since 1983, the company has been under the artistic leadership of Victor DeRenzi and administrative leadership of Executive Director Richard Russell since 2012. Sarasota Opera has garnered international attention with its Masterwork Revivals Series, which presents neglected works of artistic merit, as well as the Verdi Cycle, completed in 2016, that made Sarasota Opera the only opera company in the world to present all of Verdi’s works. Recognizing the importance of training, Maestro DeRenzi founded the Apprentice and Studio Artists programs. Sarasota Opera also maintains a commitment to education through its Explorations in Opera performances for local schools and the industry-leading Sarasota Youth Opera program.
Sarasota Opera is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Programs are supported in part by an award from the Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Additional funding is provided by the City of Sarasota and the County of Sarasota.
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