Approaching the Met Opera House
Moments like this simply do not happen every day! This was an auspicious, historic occasion: not only the premiere of a brilliant friend’s newest work, but the very first time in the Metropolitan Opera’s history that a Canadian-written opera received its world premiere on that stage. Not only that, but the librettist is Royce Vavrek, also the co-creator of Dog Days, with composer David T. Little, premiering this November with Tapestry Opera and Against the Grain.
Lincoln in the Bardo is a fascinating, audacious premise for an opera. Adapted from George Saunders’ novel, the story inhabits the “Bardo,” a liminal space suspended between the living and the dead. At its center is Abraham Lincoln grappling with the afterlife, anchored by the devastating loss of his young son Willie during the height of the Civil War. That father-son relationship is the emotional heart of the piece, and seeing Lincoln’s private, staggering grief rendered through music is nothing short of transcendent.
Lincoln in the Bardo production photo by The Metropolitan Opera
The evening began with that classic, breathless Met ritual: the iconic starburst chandeliers flickering and rising into the ceiling. What followed immediately after, however, was something I don’t think a single person in the hall anticipated. The opera opened with a chorus of kazoos and a pair of spirits detailing the bizarre circumstances of their deaths, including one comic character struggling to contain an enormous, impossible metre-long erection.
L-R: Michael Hidetoshi Mori, Royce Vavrek, Lauren Halász, Heather Slater
L-R: Michael Hidetoshi Mori, David T. Little, Eileen Mack
For a split second, you wondered where on earth this was headed. But it was a masterstroke of theatrical dramaturgy: it broke the tension, made the audience laugh out loud, and completely put us at ease before the profound, devastating weight of Lincoln’s grief took center stage.
From there, the production pulled no punches. The singing across the board was world-class, and the orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin sounded breathtaking. Visually, the staging was wild and ambitious: sudden bursts of pyrotechnics, an intricately detailed forest, an imposing mausoleum, and spirits soaring high into the air.
Lincoln in the Bardo production photo by The Metropolitan Opera
What moved me most was the unmistakable sense of commitment from the house. All too often, contemporary opera is staged on cautious, shoestring compromises. Here, the Met gave new work the full, unapologetic grand-opera treatment, investing every bit as much artistic ambition and technical wizardry as they would for Aida or La Bohème. They didn’t skimp. They put genuine stars on stage, Yannick in the pit, and backed it with imaginative, thoughtful direction and design that left the audience in awe.
The room was buzzing with opening-night glamour – Dua Lipa, Bowen Yang, and Amy Poehler were in the audience – but the real high came at the curtain call. Watching the massive hall erupt, and seeing the radiant, beaming faces of librettist Royce Vavrek and composer Missy Mazzoli as they took their bows in front of thousands of cheering fans, was an absolute breath of fresh air.
It was a triumphant night for opera, a landmark moment for Canadian creative voices on the global stage, and an experience well worth catching if you find yourself in New York this season.
All photos and video by Michael Hidetoshi Mori