Opera ‘Romeo et Juliette’ commemorates Shakespeare
“Romeo and Juliet,” one of Shakespeare’s most popular tragedies, is best known for its play and movie versions. Its opera format is fairly unfamiliar and also rarely performed as a musical, despite the popularity of the story.
The opera “Romeo et Juliette,” which will be staged in Seoul Dec. 8 to 11, is the French version of the opera featuring music composed by Charles Gounod and script written by Jules Barbier and Michel Carre. The five-act opera debuted in the Theatre Lyrique in Paris on April 27, 1867.
The 175-minute opera is brought to Korean stages for the second time, following its 2014 debut. It will be held at the Seoul Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The opera is directed by Elijah Moshinsky who has helmed “Romeo et Juliette” since its 2014 debut. Moshinsky first worked with the Korea National Opera (KNO) on “Don Carlo” in 2013 and was asked to direct “Romeo et Juliette” the following year. This year’s “Romeo et Juliette” will be upgraded with more intense action, according to the production official.
Moshinsky is well-known for his authentic and deep analysis of the story and characters and is one of the biggest names in the opera world.
Conductor Kim Doc-ki will lead the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra and the Grande Opera Chorus for “Romeo et Juliette” and costume and stage director Richard Hudson will overview the production. French soprano Nathalie Manfrino and Korean soprano Park Hye-sang are double cast as Juliette. Stephen Costello, American star tenor of the New York Metropolitan Opera, and Korean tenor Kim Dong-won will alternate as Romeo.
“The special year-end repertoire Romeo et Juliette is staged for the second time in Korea to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare,” said KNO artistic director Kim Hak-min.
“The piece will be directed by Elijah Moshinsky who demonstrates traditional opera directing. Choreographer Terry John Bates and martial arts director Philip d’Orleans will showcase strengthened movement.”
Ticket prices range from 10,000 won to 150,000 won. Visit nationalopera.org for more information.