The streams will be free to the public every night beginning at 7:30pm at MetOpera.org for a 23-hour timeframe. The schedule for each night is as follows:

Monday, February 1 – The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Starring Angel Blue, Golda Schultz, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, Eric Owens, Alfred Walker, and Donovan Singletary, conducted by David Robertson. Production by James Robinson. Originally aired February 1, 2020.

Tuesday, February 2 – Verdi’s La Forza del Destino 

Starring Leontyne Price, Isola Jones, Giuseppe Giacomini, Leo Nucci, and Bonaldo Giaiotti, conducted by James Levine. Production by John Dexter. Originally aired March 24, 1984.

Wednesday, February 3 – Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites 

Starring Maria Ewing, Jessye Norman, Betsy Norden, Régine Crespin, and Florence Quivar, conducted by Manuel Rosenthal. Production by John Dexter. Aired on April 4, 1987.

Thursday, February 4 – Rossini’s La Cenerentola

Starring Elina Garanča, Lawrence Brownlee, Simone Alberghini, Alessandro Corbelli, and John Relyea, conducted by Maurizio Benini. Production by Cesare Lievi. Aired on May 9, 2009.

Friday, February 5 – Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro

Starring Carol Vaness, Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Thomas Allen, and Ruggero Raimondi, conducted by James Levine. Production by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. Aired on December 14, 1985.

Saturday, February 6 – Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos

Starring Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle, Tatiana Troyanos, and James King, conducted by James Levine. Production by Bodo Igesz. From March 12, 1988.

Sunday, February 7 – Puccini’s Tosca

Starring Shirley Verrett, Luciano Pavarotti, and Cornell MacNeil, conducted by James Conlon. Directed by Tito Gobbi. Aired on December 19, 1978.

Monday, February 8 – Wagner’s Das Rheingold

Starring Wendy Bryn Harmer, Stephanie Blythe, Patricia Bardon, Richard Croft, Gerhard Siegel, Dwayne Croft, Bryn Terfel, Eric Owens, Franz-Josef Selig, and Hans-Peter König, conducted by James Levine. Production by Robert Lepage. Aired on October 9, 2010.

Tuesday, February 9 – Verdi’s Ernani

Starring Leona Mitchell, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, and Ruggero Raimondi, conducted by James Levine. Production by Pier Luigi Samaritani. Aired on December 17, 1983.

Wednesday, February 10 – Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia 

Starring Kathleen Battle, Rockwell Blake, Leo Nucci, Enzo Dara, and Ferruccio Furlanetto, conducted by Ralf Weikert. Production by John Cox. Aired on December 3, 1988.

Thursday, February 11 – Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera

Starring Aprile Millo, Harolyn Blackwell, Florence Quivar, Luciano Pavarotti, and Leo Nucci, conducted by James Levine. Production by Piero Faggioni. Aired on January 26, 1991.

Friday, February 12 – Philip Glass’s Akhnaten

Starring Dísella Lárusdóttir, J’Nai Bridges, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Aaron Blake, Will Liverman, Richard Bernstein, and Zachary James, conducted by Karen Kamensek. Production by Phelim McDermott. Aired on November 23, 2019.

Saturday, February 13 – Berlioz’s Les Troyens 

Starring Tatiana Troyanos, Jessye Norman, Plácido Domingo, and Allan Monk, conducted by James Levine. Production by Fabrizio Melano. Aired on October 8, 1983.

Sunday, February 14 – Wagner’s Die Walkure 

Starring Hildegard Behrens, Jessye Norman, Christa Ludwig, Gary Lakes, James Morris, and Kurt Moll, conducted by James Levine. Production by Otto Schenk. Aired on April 8, 1989.

The post The Bold, The Black, and the Beautiful: Metropolitan Opera to Stream Black Operas in February appeared first on Broadway Black.

David Alan Grier & Stanley Wayne Mathis – The Producers
When I went to see Porgy & Bess with the brilliant Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis, I was less than enthused that Grier, that guy from TV’s “In Living Color,” would be making an appearance.  Clearly, I was ill-informed.  The Yale School of Drama alum approached the role with a wisdom, a professionalism and a personality that made me reevaluate every misconception I’d had.  His charisma has since had me pining to see him recreate the  role of Max Bialystock originated by Nathan Lane with Mathis as his sidekick, Leopold Bloom. With Grier’s comedic cunning, just a twinge of Mathis’ Schroeder-like wit, and some obvious tweaks to the cultural references, this duo could possibly pull off “the biggest flop in history.”

Nicholas Christopher & Nikki Renee Daniels – The Music Man
I’ve seen Christopher in a few roles, mostly contemporary pieces, and to say he is charming would be an understatement.  But many aren’t familiar with his straight-toned, classical music style and I’d love to see him bring that to the stage as the smooth-talking, fast-walking Professor Harold Hill with Daniels as the sensible and sensitive Marian…the Librarian.  Daniels’ performance in Porgy and Bess proved that she has the vocal timbre to handle the traditional Meredith Wilson score and, quite honestly, I’d just love to see their chemistry on stage.

Audra McDonald – St. Louis Woman
This show is already traditionally done with an all-Black cast. Most recently, it was seen as part of the City Center Encores Series with Vanessa Williams starring as the belle of St. Louis, Della Green.  However, I dream that Ms. McDonald recreates the role of Lila, the scorned, jilted lover who murders her cheating man, because that’s pretty much what we expect from an Audra performance and what she does best – dark with just a twinge of crazy.

In my excitement to devise my Broadway wish list, I came across only one problem: my performer list was too short.  I found myself coming up with the same male lead or the same female protagonist, reminding me that though the pool is expanding, we have yet to reach the level of equality that we strive for in this field.  We are still outnumbered and often discounted, but art is universal and diversity is on the rise.  We’re heading towards an era where inclusive casting won’t even need to be articulated.  Go ahead and take it in: non-traditional is the new normal.

The post BB Casting Agency: The Music Man & More appeared first on Broadway Black.