New York's Dicapo Opera Announces 2006-07 Season

By Ben Mattison
June 19, 2006

Dicapo Opera Theatre's 2006-07 season will include the New York premiere of Tobias Picker's Thérèse Raquin and a new production of Lehár's The Merry Widow with Wendy Wasserstein's English dialogue, the company announced.

The 25-year-old company presents performances in an intimate theater in the basement of the St. Jean Baptiste Church on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

The Merry Widow opens the season on October 5. The company's staging is directed by general director Michael Capasso, with sets by John Farrell, costumes by Angela Huff, lighting by Susan Roth and choreography by Fran Harman. The cast includes Kristin Sampson and Matthew Walker. Wasserstein's dialogue debuted in a San Francisco Opera production in 2001.

Thérèse Raquin, which opens February 16, 2007, has a libretto by Gene Scheer based on Emile Zola's novel. It debuted at Dallas Opera in 2001. Dicapo's production is director by Capasso; Audrey Babcock stars as Thérèse.

The season also includes a production of Puccini's Manon Lescaut and a dance staging of the composer's Le Villi and Messa di Gloria created by Capasso and New York City Ballet dancer Nilas Martins. Martins, who collaborated with Dicapo on another Puccini this past season, has now joined the company as director of dance.

Family programs include a reduced version of Carmen, Giannini's Beauty and the Beast and a Christmas "Carrolle Singe."

For tickets, call 212-288-9438, extension 10; further information is available at www.dicapo.com.