Here in a new staging, Jurgen Flimm, who directed the new production of Wagner's "Ring" cycle at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany this summer to lukewarm reviews, makes his Met debut with a first cast that looks on paper to be almost ideal: Karita Mattila, Ben Heppner, Falk Struckmann and Rene Pape.
It seems that Merlin's spell caused the prince to turn into a frog — his spell was the first cast that day, and that's what the laws of magic identify as the relevant feature.
Nina Stemme, today's most in-demand Wagnerian soprano, and Stuart Skelton headline a first-rate cast that also includes Ekaterina Gubanova and René Pape.
For any of this to work on a stage the actors must be willing to surrender to their own deception, and the ArcLight production has a first-rate cast that excels as an ensemble while creating distinctly individual characters.
(Zinoman) 'The Twenty-Seventh Man' (closes on Sunday) Nathan Englander's stage adaptation of his crisp, economical short story (from the collections "For the Relief of Unbearable Urges") feels sadly bloated and static onstage, despite fine work from a first-rate cast that includes Ron Rifkin and Chip Zien (1 30).
Nina Stemme, today's most in-demand Wagnerian soprano, and Stuart Skelton headline a first-rate cast that also includes Ekaterina Gubanova and René Pape; Simon Rattle, who's made a specialty of coaxing glamorous sounds from an orchestra in this repertoire, conducts.
Director Joe Mantello orchestrates the emotional onslaught with sensitivity and precision, aided by a first-rate cast that reminds us how messy, loving and surprising families can be.
The sequel will be directed by Yuen Wo Ping (the celebrated fight choreographer in the first film) with a cast that includes "Crouching Tiger" alumnae Michelle Yeoh as Yu Shu Lien. .
Trip Cullman directs the fourth work by the playwright, screenwriter and film director Paul Weitz to bow at Second Stage, with a cast that also includes Mark Blum and Lisa Emery.
It has, first and foremost, a crackerjack cast that does indeed keep the requisite straight face.
Directing his first musical, Doug Hughes guides a cast that includes the West End star Julian Ovenden as the Grim Reaper, alongside Broadway regulars like Linda Balgord, Matt Cavenaugh, Mara Davi, Simon Jones, Rebecca Luker, Jill Paice and Max von Essen.
