I am in final rehearsals for Faust (Part I and II), to open on April 22 at the Berliner Ensemble. After many other Fausts in my career (Gertrude Stein's Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, two operas - Doctor Faustus by Manzoni and Faust by Gounod), and works that contain other Faustian pacts with the devil (such as The Black Rider and The Freeshooter), this is finally the original. Maybe I have just been warming up all these years, for Goethe's masterpiece... In any case, it is great fun to work with Herbert Grönemeyer again. We did Leonce and Lena at the B.E. twelve years ago! It doesn't take much to be deeply touched by his beautiful music. See you at the opening or one of the previews.
Pelléas et Mélisande at the Opéra Bastille, Paris
After the successful openings of "Norma" at the Opernhaus Zürich and "L'incoronazione di Poppea" at La Scala in Milano. I am now in beautiful, sunny Paris for rehearsals of "Pelléas et Mélisande." The show opens on Saturday, February 7th at the Opera Bastille. You can find more information and tickets here.
The Blacks in Antwerp
My recent production The Blacks [Les Nègres], which premiered at l'Odéon Théâtre de l'Europe this past fall, just made its Antwerp debut on Sunday!
Enjoy this little video, courtesy of deSingel Internationale Kunstcampus, featuring a brief interview with me on the productions
"Les Nègres," een theaterstuk van de Fransman Jean Genet, gaat over racisme. Het is de bedoeling om het publiek op een flamboyante manier een spiegel voor te houden. Omdat racisme de wereld nog lang niet uit is. VRT journaal, 25 januari 2015
Traveling to Zürich!
Traveling from Milan to Zurich for the revival of Norma! See our Calendar section for performance dates!
Je suis Charlie
I am both shocked and deeply saddened by the attacks on Charlie Hebdo. I mourn the loss of those 12 individuals–artists, employees, and police officers alike–and I stand by the French people in their commitment to freedom and creativity.
Nous sommes Charlie, je suis Charlie.
#jesuischarlie
Happy Thanksgiving!
I just received "Living Pictures," a short film about my video portraits by Jakub Jahn. Enjoy!
Review: "The Old Woman" at Royce Hall, Los Angeles
After an unbelievably successful run in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Buenos Aires, THE OLD WOMAN came stateside for two shows at Los Angeles' Royce Hall. A marvelous review from the Los Angeles Times can be found !
The production, starring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Willem Dafoe, will come to Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California for three nights, with shows on November 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. Tickets are available for purchase at through Cal Performances.
"Cheek to Cheek" Premieres
The performance "Cheek to Cheek" with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, featuring my own lighting and set design, finally premiered on PBS on October 24!
It can be viewed here, in entirety, until November 22, 2014, so watch now!
