The Lyric Opera of Chicago will remain dark through 2020, the company revealed June 16. Its new season was to launch September 17 with a Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci double-bill.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which keeps theatres and other areas of mass gatherings shuttered worldwide, the company now intends to reopen its doors in January 2021 with the Chicago premiere of Blue. The opera by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson was originally scheduled to open June 19 this year, but had been pushed to its new slot in April.
“The decision to cancel our fall productions is only one piece of the elaborate array of work still underway, which includes ongoing discussions with our union groups,” says General Director and President Anthony Freud. “Our goal is, and always has been, to find a balance between protecting the individuals and protecting our company.”
Canceled engagements—which include Lessons in Love and Violence, Tosca, and Attila in addition to the double-bill—may be rescheduled into later seasons. Among the titles initially announced in Lyric Opera’s spring 2021 slate were The Elixir of Love, The Marriage of Figaro, The Rake’s Progress, and the postseason production of Singin’ in the Rain.
Due to the shutdown, Lyric Opera previously canceled its spring 2020 offerings, which included a new production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle and 42nd Street. The latter, starring Norm Lewis, Faith Prince, and Isabella McCalla, has been rescheduled for spring 2022.
