Houston Grand Opera presents Gounod's Faust, a dance-infused production directed by David McVicar, with Pretty Yende as Marguerite and Matthew Polenzani as Faust.
Houston Grand Opera brings Gounod's Faust to the Wortham Theater Center starting October 30, with performances running through November 1, 7, 13, and 15. It's a production directed by David McVicar, and it's set in Belle Époque Paris, which gives the whole thing a specific turn-of-the-century look.
The story is one of the most famous in opera: Faust is reimagined here as a tormented composer who makes a deal with Mephistopheles—his soul in exchange for youth and sensual pleasure. His passion for the pure-hearted Marguerite leads her to ruin, though she finds salvation in the end. McVicar's staging is dance-infused and keeps the work's most iconic moments, from the diabolical 'Song of the Golden Calf' to Marguerite's glittering 'Jewel Song.'
There are a few debuts to keep track of. Soprano Pretty Yende makes her company debut as Marguerite, and bass John Relyea makes his HGO debut as Mephistopheles. Matthew Polenzani takes the title role of Faust, and Giacomo Sagripanti, music director of the Tbilisi Opera House, conducts his HGO debut. The production plays in the Brown Theater at the Wortham.
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If you're not entirely familiar with the story or the music, there are pre-show talks that run 45 minutes before the curtain in the Brown Auditorium, so you can get some context before the performance starts. The run opens October 30 and continues through November 15.
