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Dead Man Walking
Jan 22, 7:30 p.m. | Jan 29, 7:30 p.m. | Feb 2, 7:30 p.m. | Feb 4, 7:30 p.m. | Feb 6, 2 p.m.

Music by Jake Heggie, Libretto by Terrence McNally, Based on the novel by Sister Helen Prejean.

"Dead Man Walking makes the most concentrated impact of any piece of American music theater since West Side Story more than 40 years ago." - The Guardian (U.K.)

CAST

Joyce DiDonato***
Sister Helen Prejean

Philip Cutlip
Joseph De Rocher

Frederica von Stade
Mrs. Patrick De Rocher

Measha Brueggergosman*
Sister Rose

Hector Vásquez
George Benton

John Packard*
Owen Hart

Cheryl Parrish
Kitty Hart

Susanne Mentzer***
Jade Boucher

Jon Kolbet***
Howard Boucher

Beau Gibson***
Fr. Grenville

Michael Sumuel**
Motorcycle Cop/Prison Guard

Boris Dyakov**
Prison Guard

Kiri Dyan Deonarine**
Sister Catherine

Brittany Wheeler**
Sister Lilliane

CREATIVE TEAM

Patrick Summers
Conductor

Leonard Foglia
Director

Michael McGarty
Set Designer

Jess Goldstein
Costume Designer

Brian Nason
Lighting Designer

Elaine McCarthy*
Projections Designer

Brian Byrnes
Fight Director

Richard Bado***
Chorus Master

Houston Grand Opera
Orchestra, Chorus and Children's Chorus

* HGO debut
** HGO Studio Artist
*** Former HGO Studio Artist

Brown Theater | Sung in English with Surtitles

A story of compassion and redemption, Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking has played to sold-out houses across the U.S. and Europe in the decade since its premiere.

Joseph De Rocher (Philip Cutlip) leads a lonely life on death row until Sister Helen Prejean (Joyce DiDonato) arrives as his spiritual advisor. Legendary mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade marks her farewell to the operatic stage with these appearances as De Rocher’s mother and Measha Brueggergosman makes her HGO debut as Sister Rose. Patrick Summers—who conducted the opera’s world premiere a decade ago as well as the acclaimed recording on Erato—conducts Houston Grand Opera’s performances, Leonard Foglia directs.




Joyce DiDonato
 Philip Cutlip Frederica
von Stade
 Leonard Foglia
 Patrick Summers

Adult content: contains strong language, nudity, and depictions of sexual activity and violence.

Dead Man Walking was commissioned by the San Francisco Opera.
A co-production of Opera Pacific, Cincinnati Opera, New York City Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Pittsburgh Opera and Baltimore Opera.

Guarantors
Franci and Jim Crane
Sara and Bill Morgan

Grand Underwriters
Meg Boulware and Hartley Hampton


Banner photo by David Bachman for Pittsburgh Opera


2010/11 Season
Madame Butterfly | Peter Grimes | Dead Man Walking 
Lucia di Lammermoor | The Marriage of Figaro | Ariadne auf Naxos
Recitals at Rienzi  |  Così fan tutte  |  To Cross the Face of the Moon