CENDRILLON

"You simply have to see it." — New York Observer

This new production by director Laurent Pelly quite literally brings the storybook tale to life. Inspired by an edition of Perrault's Cendrillon as illustrated by Gustave Doré that Pelly read as a child, the production is steeped in the physical, typographical materials of the fairy tale. The set evokes the pages of a book, with black and white text forming its walls, and the shapes of characters and props appearing as large cut-out letters. With its blend of humor and darkness mirroring the tensions of the fairy tale genre itself, as well as its fantastical costumes and sets, the production hauntingly constructs a magical landscape as seen through the eyes of a child.

"An utterly enchanting retelling of the Cinderella story … From the very first note she sang, Joyce DiDonato enthralled: she was not just a mezzo in some opera, but a human being upon whose life seemed to hang the fate of the universe. … Stephanie Blythe offers a scene- stealing turn as the evil stepmother … Musically about the finest thing the Met has done all season ... You simply have to see it." — New York Observer

"… Bertrand de Billy leads the orchestra in a sumptuous performance … Laurent Pelly’s production is boldly stylized; elegant yet winking; straightforward but with an aura of extravagance." — New York Times