Baritone Will Liverman stars as civil rights leader Malcolm X in new production by Tony-nominated director Robert O'Hara
The historic Live in HD transmission to be hosted by award-winning actress Angela Bassett, who portrayed the wife of Malcolm X in the 1992 film starring Denzel Washington
DENVER, Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Metropolitan Opera's 2023–24 Live in HD season continues with the company premiere of Anthony Davis's X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X on Saturday, November 18, at 12:55PM ET via Fathom Events. The influential opera, which had its world premiere in 1986, is newly staged by Tony-nominated director of Slave Play Robert O'Hara, who imagines Malcolm as an Everyman whose story transcends space and time. With a libretto by Thulani Davis and story by Christopher Davis, the opera explores how one man's fight to define his life on his own terms becomes a battle cry for justice for an entire people.
Fathom Events will also present two encores of Anthony Davis's X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X on Wednesday, November 29 at 1:00PM and 6:30PM local time.
Tickets for Anthony Davis's X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X are on sale through the Fathom Events website and participating theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations, visit fathomevents.com (participating theaters are subject to change).
Conductor Kazem Abdullah conducts the newly revised score, which features a layered, jazz-inflected setting for this powerful historical drama. The cast stars Grammy Award–winning baritone Will Liverman, who triumphed in the 2021 Met premiere of Terence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones, as Malcolm, alongside soprano Leah Hawkins as his mother, Louise, and wife, Betty; mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis as his sister Ella; bass-baritone Michael Sumuel as his brother Reginald; and tenor Victor Ryan Robertson as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad.
X follows Malcolm's journey from his original identity as Malcom Little, born to Reverend Earl Little and his wife, Louise, in Lansing, Michigan, to Malcolm X after he studies and accepts the teachings of the Nation of Islam, and beyond. The opera represents Malcolm's life as one of boundless evolution, whose messages of Black self-sufficiency and self-determination were often at odds with the mainstream but continue to resonate today.
Led by O'Hara, the creative team also includes set designer Clint Ramos, costume designer Dede Ayite, lighting designer Alex Jainchill, projection designer Yee Eun Nam, wig designer Mia Neal, and choreographer Rickey Tripp—all in their Met debuts.
Gary Halvorson will direct the Live in HD presentation for cinemas, with award-winning actress Angela Bassett serving as host. Bassett starred as Dr. Betty Shabazz, alongside Denzel Washington as Malcolm, in the 1992 film Malcolm X. She will provide exclusive behind-the-scenes access and conduct interviews with the cast and creative team during intermission.
The Stars of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
Kazem Abdullah, conductor; Indianapolis, Indiana
Leah Hawkins, Louise/Betty; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Raehann Bryce-Davis, Ella/Queen Mother; Keene, Texas
Victor Ryan Robertson, Elijah/Street; Atlanta, Georgia
Will Liverman, Malcolm X; Virginia Beach, Virginia
Michael Sumuel, Reginald; Odessa, Texas
More Information
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The 2023–24 Live in HD season continues with Florencia en el Amazonas (live on December 9, with encores on December 13), Nabucco (live on January 6, with encores on January 10), Carmen (live on January 27, with encores on January 31), La Forza del Destino (live on March 9, with encores on March 13), Roméo et Juliette (live on March 23, with encores on March 27), La Rondine (live on April 20, with encores on April 24), and Madama Butterfly (live on May 11, with encores on May 15). All performances will be Saturday matinees transmitted live from the Met stage. An encore screening of Mozart's The Magic Flute from 2006 will also be presented in select cinemas on December 2.
About Fathom Events
Fathom is a recognized leader in the entertainment industry as one of the top distributors of content to movie theaters in North America. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC); Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK); and Regal, a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group (LSE: CINE.L), Fathom operates the largest cinema distribution network, delivering a wide variety of programming and experiences to cinema audiences in all of the top U.S. markets and to more than 45 countries. For more information, visit FathomEvents.com.
The Met: Live in HD series is made possible by a generous grant from its founding sponsor, the Neubauer Family Foundation. Digital support of The Met: Live in HD is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Met: Live in HD series is supported by Rolex.
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