CMU School of Drama


Friday, March 03, 2023

Why the Met's New Lohengrin Is Set Not in the Historic Past, But in the Future

Playbill: This February and March, fans of Wagner's soaring masterpiece Lohengrin have cause to rejoice as the opera finally returns, with Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin on the podium to lead a vivid new staging by director François Girard. Picking up where Girard’s transcendental 2013 vision of Parsifal left off, the production stars tenor Piotr Beczała as the titular swan knight and explores timeless issues that feel uncannily current.

1 comment:

Carolyn Burback said...


I’ve seen images from Longengrin on instagram but have never paid attention to what production it was until reading this article. I remember the images because the set was so weird in a majestic way with its stage floor seemingly set inside some large hole or some sort in the earth. Learning now that it is supposed to be set in the furniture I appreciate that the set isn’t a stereotypical depiction of the future with all metal or white sleek environments, but rather as the article points out it’s a more mystical take of the future on earth instead. I also like how the article hinted at the idea that Girard’s works over his career are connected in a way of not only story and timelines but in style and recognizability. Directors and designers with a distinct style always amaze me because you can see their work in the show but the show can be a completely different story or setting carrying that same person’s personal stylistic vision.