Dialogues des Carmélites NYC Reviews and Tickets

87%

(12 Ratings)

Positive

100%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Great singing, Absorbing, Great staging, Thought-provoking, Ambitious

About the Show

A revival of the harrowing operatic tragedy about the French Revolution.

Poulenc’s tragic opera returns to the Met, with soprano Ailyn Pérez as the young woman caught in the middle of this harrowing, quasi-historical story about a group of Carmelite nuns martyred in Paris during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.

The cast also includes soprano Sabine Devieilhe as Blanche’s fellow novice Constance, soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek as the stalwart Madame Lidoine, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Mère Marie, and mezzo-soprano Alice Coote as Madame de Croissy. Maestro Bertrand de Billy conducts, while John Dexter directs.

Show-Score Member Reviews (12)

Historical value, Great singing, Absorbing

See it if You want to hear fantastic singing and hear a bit of history. Quite dark, but worth it!

Don't see it if You are not an opera fan or don’t go in for dark operas.

Masterful, Great singing, Great writing, Great staging, Exquisite

See it if A stranger interrupted my conversation a few weeks ago to berate me for planning to skip this. He was right; it's sparse, sad, & beautiful.

Don't see it if You want a happy ending; it's depressing even by opera standards. But the journey there is lovely. Every bit of this works.

Thought-provoking, Resonant, Intelligent, Great staging, Great singing

See it if Excellent singing and cast. Music and orchestration top notch

Don't see it if Dark and foreboding ,

3.5 hours of terrific opera, Evocative & minimalist staging, Beautiful voices, Historical, Absorbing

See it if Enjoy beautiful orchestra & vocal performances. Have interest in the French Revolution.

Don't see it if Need action or humor. This is somber opera.

Great singing, Great staging, Slow, Thought-provoking, Absorbing

See it if Dexter's 1977 production remains as intense & emotionally satisfying as ever with Met vets Perez, Coote, Goerke & Barton in vocal command

Don't see it if Production can feel slow as the nuns come to grips with the inevitability of their fates but Poulenc's masterpiece remains a haunting saga

Thought-provoking, Riveting, Great acting, Great singing, Absorbing

See it if you like opera based on true happenings, here with strong female voices. I especially enjoyed the debut performance of Sabine Devieilhe.

Don't see it if you expect a French opera to reflect beautiful singing - here some of the fast pace and the male voices were rather irritating.

Great writing, Thought-provoking, Great singing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you like an opera based on real events of the French Revolution. Very good acting and singing and great character studies.

Don't see it if you like typical French opera with beautiful arias and lots of romance and passion. There are no memorable arias. Read more

Edgy, Intense, Thought-provoking, Great staging, Great singing

See it if you like opera; want to see the shocking scene when the nuns go to the guillotine one by one for their faith, based on a true story..

Don't see it if you don't like opera, want something lighter or not so tragic/heroic, the show is somewhat grim, you don't like historical-based shows

Critic Reviews (2)

"It’s rare to see an opera so focused on women and their relationships to one another, and rarer still to see those relationships explored so profoundly."
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"It’s an ending unsurpassed in opera for its brutal honesty and dramatic impact. If this compelling cast isn’t enough to lure you to 'Dialogues des Carmélites,' the final moments of the Met’s timeless production should be."
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Trailer

Creative team