The Met Live in HD: La Fanciulla del West (Puccini), Live

Puccini wrote a western. It has a gun slinging saloon owner and an outlaw with a conscience.

Set during the California Gold Rush, La Fanciulla del West follows Minnie, who runs the tavern, carries a gun and has a heart of gold, and the dashing outlaw she falls for. It is an exhilarating drama, and the Met has not given it a new staging in more than thirty years.

Celebrated British director Richard Jones takes it on. Soprano Vida Miknevičiūtė makes a significant Met debut as Minnie, with tenor SeokJong Baek as Dick Johnson and Christopher Maltman alongside them. Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts.

Good to know. This is the live transmission, not an encore. Runtime is about three hours fifteen with one intermission.

About the series. The Met: Live in HD sends performances straight from the Metropolitan Opera stage into cinemas worldwide, and the Playhouse is the local screen for it. The series here is supported by Liz and Steven Goldstone and Whistle Stop Bakery.

Where to go. The Playhouse is at 80 East Ridge Road in Ridgefield, behind the town hall, and it is an easy run in from anywhere in lower Fairfield County.