MET: Grounded
- 2 hr 45 min
- NR
- NOT SET
Synopsis
Two-time Tony Awardwinning composer Jeanine Tesoris powerful new opera Grounded, commissioned by the Met and based on librettist George Brants acclaimed play, wrestles with the ethical quandaries and psychological toll of 21st-century warfare. Mezzo-soprano Emily DAngelo, one of operas most compelling young stars, portrays Jess, a hot-shot fighter pilot whose unplanned pregnancy takes her out of the cockpit and lands her in Las Vegas, operating a Reaper drone halfway around the world. As she struggles to adjust to this new way of doing battle, she fights to maintain her sanity, and her soul, as she is called to rain down death by remote control. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin oversees the Met premiere of Tesoris kaleidoscopic score and a cast that also features tenor Ben Bliss as the Wyoming rancher who becomes Jesss husband. Michael Mayers high-tech staging, using a vast array of LED screens, presents a variety of perspectives on the action, including the drones predatory view from high above.