Metropolitan Opera in HD: Tales of Hoffmann!

Duels! Dwarves! Dancing dolls! Doomed love affairs! Drinking in dusty European taverns! NCM Fathom presents an encore presentation of OffenbachÂÂ's Les Contes dÂÂ'Hoffmann in select theatres nationwide. This is an actual performance of the Metropolitan Opera, captured on December 19th and rebroadcast for one day only. If you have never seen an opera before, this is a great way to try it without spending a fortune! Tales of Hoffmann is a fantastical comic opera based on the stories of E.T.A. Hoffmann, perhaps most famous as the author of The Nutcracker (which became the ballet). Full of magical happenings, mechanical dolls, and other strange but wonderful entities, this story is set to a lush and romantic score by French composer Jacques Offenbach. The director of this production describes it as ÂÂ"a magical journey in which the character works out different manifestations of his psyche.ÂÂ" Please be aware of a couple of things: 1) the performance is in French, with English subtitles. 2) operas are long, so plan to be there for about four hours. 3) some people find it worthwhile to read a synopsis before attending the opera, although it isn't really necessary to understand what's going on. 4) you may buy your tickets in advance on Fandango.com if you wish. Let's meet at 6PM and find our seats; the show begins at 6:30. For more information about Les Contes d'Hoffmann, visit the Met's website at http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=300 If you can't make it to this particular broadcast, or if deep tragedy is more your operatic style, stay tuned for other Met offerings, including a live broadcast of Carmen, later this month!