El Niño NYC Reviews and Tickets

See it if new opera with visionary production, visual feast, continuous lighting FX, projections, moments of ecstasy, large dance company, appeals.

Don't see it if you prefer museum-piece opera from the canon.

See it if you like Adams' music. This is an updated nativity oratorio, presented with a marvel of staging ingenuity & poetry, powerful music & singing

Don't see it if you don't like contemporary opera or big spectacle shows. I was blown away - one of the best & most memorable new MET productions in years. Read more

See it if You want to see some of the most impressive visuals of this Opera season; there's puppets, wire work, painted backgrounds, neon, and more.

Don't see it if The story is pretty basic. One puppet is maybe meant as a butterfly but is pretty obviously a vagina;it isn't offensive, but IS distracting.

See it if you're interested in an operatic retelling of the Nativity pieced together from many texts; you want a "gateway" contemporary opera.

Don't see it if you want a literal, classic portrayal of the Nativity (or are utterly unfamiliar) -- some text is thematic but not directly from the story. Read more

See it if Blain-Cruz's staging & production team serves a ravishing backdrop for Adam's multi-lingual/cultural story of the Nativity Beautiful singing

Don't see it if Adams' oratorio uses many different styles & sources; may not please some but conductor Alsop succeeds ably in harnessing the lush motifs

See it if you enjoy non-traditional performances that play with timeline and well-known narratives, adding in elements from a variety of cultures

Don't see it if you expect a straight, normative narrative with only the familiar aspects of the story

See it if Opera-fan … open to new ideas that attempt to advance contemporary opera.

Don't see it if Hard to connect without knowledge of the Nativity story, and its various interpretations … for those, go for the performances and production

See it if you close your eyes the entire time and just listen to the oratorio masterwork by composer John Adams, expertly conducted by Marin Alsop

Don't see it if you're smart enough not to fall for cheap theatrics by a director who must've shown up at rehearsals with "Speaking My Truth" on her chest Read more