Home / Arts and Entertainment / Met Opera's 'Innocence': A Set That Transforms Like Magic
Met Opera's 'Innocence': A Set That Transforms Like Magic
13 Apr
Summary
- The opera features a dynamic set that transforms between restaurant, school, and other settings.
- A dedicated team of 16 props workers and stage managers execute rapid scene changes.
- Transformations require meticulous planning and flawless execution in near darkness.
The Metropolitan Opera's production of "Innocence" features an extraordinary scenic design by Chloe Lamford, where a rotating building dramatically transforms into various spaces. Initially a restaurant, the set morphs into school rooms, a cafeteria, and more, appearing as magic to the audience.
This illusion is achieved through the meticulous work of 16 props workers and seven stage managers, who are instrumental in the show's emotional arc. They perform rapid, complex adjustments to the mise-en-scène whenever the set faces away from the audience.
The opera, composed by Kaija Saariaho and directed by Simon Stone, moves swiftly. The production's seamless scene changes, like the transition from a restaurant to a classroom in about 95 seconds, highlight the team's virtuosic planning and execution.
These transformations, occurring in near darkness with props teams often disguised as characters, underscore the theme of the past haunting the present. The set's evolution reflects the opera's grappling with trauma and memory, creating a poetic and haunted space.
