The Metropolitan Opera: The Exterminating Angel (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language

2017 · 142 mins · English

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Directed by

Gary Halvorson, Tom Cairns

Starring

John Irvin, Susan Graham, MET Orchestra, Alice Coote, Christian van Horn, Audrey Luna

Inspired by Luis Buñuel’s surrealist film, this opera follows a group of wealthy socialites enjoying a dinner party. When they attempt to leave, they find themselves unable to escape, and their refined composure quickly unravels. The production, presented during the 2017–18 season, features a large ensemble cast and an inventive staging that uses a towering wooden archway to symbolize their entrapment. Conductor Thomas Adès, who also wrote the libretto, leads the performance with a score incorporating unusual instruments like the ondes Martenot.