DRAMA

Boston Baroque proudly presents its first-ever production of Mozart’s Idomeneo, a deeply moving opera exploring the tragic conflict between duty and love. King Idomeneo, having vowed to sacrifice the first living being he encounters after surviving a storm, faces a heartrending choice when that being turns out to be his own son, Idamante.

This fully-staged production features a stellar cast, including David Portillo as Idomeneo, Hera Hyesang Park as Ilia, Valerie Eickhoff as Idamante, Wendy Bryn Harmer as Elettra, Omar Najmi as Arbace, and Joel Clemens as La Voce. Under the direction of conductor David Bates, the performance brings to life Mozart’s rich orchestration, dramatic intensity, and lyrical beauty.

Book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan Music by Marc Shaiman Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman Directed by Najee Brown The 1950s are out, and change is in the air! Hairspray, winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, is a musical piled bouffant-high with laughter, romance and deliriously tuneful songs. It's 1962 in Baltimore, and Tracy Turnblad has only one desire – to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from high school outcast to sudden star. She must use her newfound power to dethrone the reigning Teen Queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a TV network... all without denting her 'do! "Hairspray is as sweet as a show can be without promoting tooth decay. ...[It] succeeds in recreating the pleasures of the old-fashioned musical comedy without seeming old-fashioned....The score's appeal isn't nostalgic. It's music that builds its own self-contained, improbably symmetrical world...." - The New York Times

Merrily We Roll Along

The authors of the landmark Company reunite to turn the traditional showbiz musical on its head in this thrilling and compelling Broadway fable about friendship, compromise and the high price of success. Stephen Sondheim and George Furth expertly blend the excitement and energy of a backstage musical with a poignant and emotional contemporary story about the importance of staying true to one's ideals.

Merrily We Roll Along begins in the present and moves backwards, tracing the lives of wealthy, jaded composer, Franklin Shepard, and his two estranged friends through each milestone of their personal and professional lives (good and bad). The show ends with a touch of rueful irony, as the three best friends at the start of their careers face a bright future: young, talented and enthusiastic about the worlds waiting to be conquered.