kling.jpg
Protestors outside the Metropolitan Opera on Monday before the opening of 'The Death of Klinghoffer'
(Ronni Reich)
As they have since the summer, emotions ran high at opening night of "The Death of Klinghoffer" at the Metropolitan Opera last night.
Months ago, an HD transmission of the production to movie theaters was canceled in response to protests against the work by composer John Adams and librettist Alice Goodman, which portrays the 1985 terrorist hijacking of a cruise ship by members of the Palestinian Liberation Front and the murder of a Jewish-American passenger.
What looked like hundreds of protestors -- some in wheelchairs in tribute to the victim, who was paralyzed -- were cordoned off across the Lincoln Center plaza and there was a heavy police presence.
One speaker threatened to picket the homes of Jewish supporters who would not publicly oppose the opera, which has been decried as sympathetic to terrorists and anti-Semitic. Others spoke in apocalyptic terms: "The world is coming apart at the seams on us." "This is one of the most outrageous things to happen in our lifetimes."
The performance was interrupted early by groups booing, and later by shouts of "The murder of Leon Klinghoffer will never be forgiven." There were also isolated individual outbursts, including a man who shouted the first few words of the Kaddish, a mourner's prayer.
Onstage, the night proceeded smoothly. Conductor David Robertson led a formidable reading of Adams' cinematic score and Tom Morris' production featured richly drawn characters and evocative visuals. The cast, especially Alan Opie in the title role and Michaela Martens as Marilyn Klinghoffer rose to the occasion with performances full of strength and pathos.