The Met Live in HD: Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns), Encore

The strongest man in the world, undone by someone who simply asked the right questions.

Saint-Saëns takes the biblical story and makes an opera out of the part everyone remembers: Samson, whose strength is legendary, and Dalila, the Philistine whose beauty overpowers it. The Met's production is built on the scale the story wants, with a massive orchestra and chorus and some of the most spellbinding melodies in the repertoire.

Mezzo soprano Aigul Akhmetshina, who has sung Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Carmen at the Met, and tenor Clay Hilley star as the title pair, alongside Quinn Kelsey, Alfred Walker and Morris Robinson. Giacomo Sagripanti conducts, in a staging by Darko Tresnjak.

Good to know. This is the encore screening. Runtime is about three hours and fifty five minutes with two intermissions, so plan the afternoon around it.

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.