San Francisco Opera to Present World Premiere of ‘Anthony & Cleopatra’
By Francisco SalazarThe San Francisco Opera is set to present the world premiere of John Adams’ “Antony and Cleopatra.”
The production, which opens on Sept. 10 and runs through Oct 5, 2022, was created especially for San Francisco Opera’s 100th season and continues the company’s relationship with John Adams. The composer’s “Doctor Atomic (2005)” and “Girls of the Golden West (2017)” were commissioned by the Company and had their world premieres at the War Memorial Opera House, while “The Death of Klinghoffer,” a San Francisco Opera co-commission, and Nixon in China were presented with the company in 1992 and 2012, respectively.
In a statement, John Adams said, “I am proud to continue my longstanding collaboration with the great San Francisco Opera with this, the fifth opera of mine the company has presented over the years. Antony and Cleopatra is a story that embraces not only the intimate and human but also the geopolitical and the clash of civilizations. As is always the case with Shakespeare, its themes mirror the realities of life even as we live it at this very moment.”
“Anthony and Cleopatra” will be conducted by Music Director Eun Sun Kim and will star Amina Edris as Cleopatra and Gerald Finley as Antony. Rounding out the cast will be tenor Paul Appleby as Caesar, Alfred Walker, Elizabeth DeShong, Hadleigh Adams, Brenton Ryan, Philip Skinner, Taylor Raven, Patrick Blackwell, Gabrielle Beteag, and Timothy Murray.
The production will be directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer and will present the story’s political battles and the famous love story of these figures from antiquity through an updated setting inspired by 1930s Hollywood glamor.
The opera, which is a co-commission and co-production with the Metropolitan Opera, Barcelona’s Liceu Opera and Palermo’s Teatro Massimo, is adapted from Shakespeare’s drama by the composer with consultation by Elkhanah Pulitzer and Lucia Scheckner. The opera will be live streamed on Sept. 18 matinee will be available to watch on-demand for 48 hours.