Hamptons Theater Screening Puccini’s “Turandot”

On Saturday January 30th at 1 p.m., Guild Hall will host a screening of The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD featuring Puccini’s Turandot.

The production, which was Puccini’s final opera, will showcase one of opera’s greatest dramatic sopranos, Nina Stemme. The story is loosely based on an 18th-century play by the Venetian satirist Carlo Gozzi, which revolves around an ancient Chinese emperor whose daughter, Turandot, refuses to wed any suitor unable to correctly answer three riddles that she proposes. It’s a big gamble to try their luck at the tricky questions, as those who fail are beheaded.

“Franco Zeffirelli’s 1987 production is one of the gems in the Met repertory,” noted Wilborn Hampton of The Huffington Post. “From the teeming masses in the opening scene (with the heads of princes who failed the riddle test impaled on staffs around the stage), to the opulence of the imperial palace, it is a time travel fantasy that can take one’s breath away. It is remarkable when a 28-year-old production can still elicit gasps and applause from an audience, and Zeffirelli’s majestic set for the emperor’s celestial palace does just that.”

Turandot also stars tenor Marco Berti as Calàf, the valiant prince who sings “Nessun dorma” and captures her love. The Franco Zeffirelli production is conducted by Paolo Carignani.

Tickets are $22, $20 for Guild Hall Members and $15 for students.

Guild Hall is located at 158 Main Street in East Hampton. For more information, call 631-324-0806 or visit www.guildhall.org.