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Exchange of souls with death row inmates! “Dead Man Walking” Interview just before release
“A love story” told by the main character’s model, Sister Helene Prejean ……
MET Live Viewing allows you to enjoy the latest opera performances of the New York Metropolitan Opera House (MET) on a big screen. The new season begins with the opera “Dead Man Walking”, composed by Jake Heggie and directed by Ivo van Hove! The non-fiction novel of the same name written by Sister Helene Prejean, based on her own experiences, was made into a film in 1995, directed by Tim Robbins and starring Susan Sarandon. Susan Sarandon, who played the role of Sister Helen, won the Academy Award for Best Actress and received high praise all over the world.
Before the MET’s new production of “Dead Man Walking” was screened in Japan, Sister Helen Prejean, the original author of the film and the model for Sister Helen in the play, spoke to us.
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MET’s long-awaited new production of “Dead Man Walking”
“I have seen the opera version of Dead Man Walking more than 15 times, but I have never felt as powerful as the Met version. I thought that the production that realistically presented the story to the audience was innovative and wonderful, and the way Joseph (Ryan McKinney) gradually changes as he faces his crimes as he awaits his final day as a death row inmate. I felt that I could convey this more clearly.” [Image 3
Trusting relationship with Joyce DiDonato who plays Sister Helen She has a deep bond with Joyce DiDonato, who plays the role of Sister Helen, on whom she was based. “I don’t know anyone else who understands the role of Sister Helen as well as she does, and who is as close to my work as she is to play this role, and Joyce perfectly portrays the “journey to forgiveness” portrayed in the play.” I feel that she embodies this.The aria she sings at the end of this work is a song that conveys love to the audience with a transparent power above all else.”
“This is a love story!”
He describes this work as a “love story.” “I see this work as a love story. Joseph, who had never known love, changes drastically as he faces himself and God, and after repenting of his sins, he is able to realize the love for others. Because it has become.”
This opera has been revived with a new production through the collaboration of composer Jake Heggie, MET music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who is passionate about contemporary opera, and Ivo van Hove, a director who has created a sensation with a variety of works. Dead Man Walking》. Can a person who has committed a crime change through “love”? Please experience it for yourself at the MET Live Viewing, which will be screened from December 8th (Friday).
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In 1982, Sister Helen corresponded with and met with death row inmates in a Louisiana state prison in the southern United States, and even stayed close to them until their executions. Approximately 10 years later, a non-fiction book of the same name was published, which was made into a film in 1995. The title is a slang term referring to a death row inmate walking from his cell to the execution room, but here it is uttered by a prison guard.
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What is MET Live Viewing?
“MET Live Viewing” screens the latest opera performances from the New York Metropolitan Opera House, one of the world’s three major opera houses, in movie theaters. You can enjoy a dream collaboration of the world’s top singers, the best orchestra, and a variety of exciting productions at a reasonable price!
MET live viewing official website: https://www.shochiku.co.jp/met/ Photos (c)Paola Kudacki/Metropolitan Opera (c)Karen
Almond/Metropolitan Opera(c) Cheryl Gerber (c)Jonathan
Tichler/Metropolitan Opera
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