The fat lady hasn’t quite sung for Manhattan’s venerable Metropolitan Opera, but the 142-year-old institution’s dire financial shortfall is leading to changes. This year, it was announced that the opera had held out its horned helmet to the Saudi government in a deal worth a reported $100 million. And in June, the rarefied stage that Maria Callas called home will host The Last Ship, a musical by Sting. The New York-based Englishman recently previewed the show — drawn from his upbringing in a British shipbuilding town — for the media, singing and playing several songs on his guitar in the gilded 3,800-seat theater, which he joked wasn’t big enough.
“It’s been one of the greatest adventures of my life, and I’ve had a few, but this one is just very compelling to me,” the rock star tells THR. “It’s like a ship, and I’m the captain.”
It’s a somewhat unusual move for the Met to stage non-opera productions, not to mention Broadway‘s sloppy seconds — Sting brought the show to the Great White Way for a three-month run in 2014. But the opera’s GM, Peter Gelb, reminds Rambling that Sting’s appearance is not unprecedented: “Throughout its storied history, the Met has hosted performances by legendary artists outside of opera or ballet. Sting made his memorable Met debut with a concert in 2010, and we’re thrilled to be Sting’s theatrical home for these nine fully staged performances in June.”
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Also in Rambling Reporter:
Angelina Jolie visits war-torn Kherson, Ukraine, offering humanitarian aid to children and defying dangers in the frontline city.
Brothers discover a pristine Superman No. 1 comic in their late mom’s attic. Estimated to fetch up to $6M, it could break auction records.
This story appeared in the Nov. 19 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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