San Francisco Frontiers - Met Opera goes for big and bold, despite shaky finances

But the storied New York house thinks going big is its best hope: in the space of four days, it commissioned dual world premiere operas on two continents.

The ambitious sprint culminates Monday with the debut performance of "Lincoln in the Bardo," an adaptation of George Saunders' Booker Prize-winning novel about US president Abraham Lincoln's struggle to confront the loss of his 11-year-old son as he faced heavy criticism early in the Civil War.

"Bardo," written by rising US composer Missy Mazzoli, comes on the heels of the Warsaw premiere of the Met-commissioned "The Mothers of Kherson," the story of Ukrainian mothers who tried to save their kidnapped children after Russia's invasion.

The 143-year old Met, which has grappled with declining audiences in recent years, sees "Bardo" as a politically salient work in today's polarized United States, while "Kherson" highlights a war that is still roiling global politics.

"The only possible path out of the financial struggles and challenges we face is by being bold, by demonstrating the absolutely indispensable nature of the Met as a cultural institution," Met General Manager Peter Gelb told AFP.

Playing it safe would mean "certain failure," Gelb said. "Keeping this great company everlasting is my top priority."

- 'Two babies' -

The Met, which is attempting to reverse annual losses and credit rating downgrades, seemed to have found a way forward in September 2025 when it unveiled a partnership with the Saudi Music Commission.

But the deal fell through amid Saudi cutbacks related to the US-Iran war.

Questions about balance sheets and cash flow felt far away inside the opera house this week at a dress rehearsal of "Bardo."

The lavish production features fantastic gargoyle-like puppets who populate the "bardo," a space after death where tortured souls reside, unable to move beyond their past lives.

The second act reaches a dramatic peak as Lincoln, after much soul-searching, plaintively accepts the inevitable, seated next to his son Willie, who appears as a ghost the father cannot see.

"It's an America at a very divided point in its history," said Mazzoli, who sees the opera as asking whether the bardo's troubled figures can set aside their regrets and petty concerns "for the good of the soul of this one innocent child," Mazzoli said.

"That's the sort of microcosm of what I see in America at its best moments."

Paul Cremo, who directs the Met's commissioning program, said creating the other-worldly universe for "Bardo" -- in which tendrils engulf singers and ghosts explode -- challenged the Met's technical staff.

Cremo, who has overseen "Bardo" since it was commissioned eight years ago, spoke with AFP from Warsaw on the eve of the premiere of "Mothers of Kherson," which the Met commissioned in 2023. He will be in New York for the premiere of "Bardo."

"It's hard to have two babies basically being born within days of each other and trying to make sure you're giving them both the amount of attention you want to," he said.

- 'Motivate them to help us' -

In September, the Met opened its season with a new production of Verdi's "Macbeth" and will present other classics in the coming months.

The company has struggled to fill its cavernous theater's 3,800 seats when presenting revivals without major stars.

The Met has partnered with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to give away 70,000 tickets this season under the "Opera for All" program unveiled last month.

Although the Met won't receive revenue from the city, Gelb notes that the projects brings it closer to City Hall. Mamdani's video announcement also quickly drew more than 10 million views on social media.

Gelb is also hopeful the buzz about "Bardo" will boost sales, noting an appearance by Saunders on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" and the expected attendance of celebrities at Monday's premiere including pop singer Dua Lipa, who has more than 89 million followers on Instagram.

The house paired the Mamdani announcement with the launch of the "Make the Met Forever" campaign to raise $1.5 billion.

"I felt they needed to be made hand in hand," Gelb said of the two programs.

"If people think the Met is indispensable, it might motivate them to help us."

H.Reyes--SFF