Stars shone at the Metropolitan Opera opening gala

On Tuesday evening, stars gathered at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Square to mark the opening of the opera house’s 141st season. The centerpiece of the evening was a new production of Macbeth, based on Giuseppe Verdi’s original composition and directed by Louisa Proske, who made her Met Opera debut. The show, which was completely sold out, marked the first new production at the Met in almost 20 years.

As reported by Harper’s Bazaar, the opening gala was attended by well-known personalities such as Katie Holmes, Ariana DeBose, Frances McDormand, Patricia Clarkson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kate Walsh and Sigourney Weaver. Before the show began, guests were received for a cocktail hour on the building’s red spiral staircase and then watched the performance in the main hall.

The spectacle, which lasted about three hours, was ignited by the performances of Quinn Kelsey in the role of Macbeth and Lise Davidsen as Lady Macbeth. The orchestra was conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin; the choreography was by Jorrell Lawyer-Jefferson, while the action director was Ran Arthur Braun. The impressive scenography was created by Jon Bausor, and the period costumes were designed by Montana Levi Blanco.

As a charity evening for the Metropolitan Opera, the event raised a total of $4.7 million, and after the show a dinner was organized for more than 700 guests; the Macbeth production will continue in the repertoire until October 20. According to Harper’s Bazaar, the night marked a significant return of new productions to the Metropolitan Opera stage.