By ROBIN CAUDELL
Opera glasses are not required to view "Hamlet" or Armida" at Lake Placid Center for the Arts.
The center joins 700 select venues around the world that are approved sites for "The Met: Live in HD," the award-winning series of live-performance transmissions. In its fourth season, "The Met: Live in HD" places audience members right at the feet of the performers and offers intimate back-stage interviews with cast and crew.
World-class opera never looked or sounded so good, and now it is an easy commute.
"We have such a theater-loving community," said Kim Andresen, director of programming and marketing at the arts center. "We thought about having the program here, and we were approved. We're really excited about that.
"They're doing nine (transmissions) this year. We're going to be able to show the last two for this season, which are Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and Rossini's "Armida."
LARGER THAN LIFE
Composer Abroise Thomas's new production of "Hamlet" stars Simon Keenlyside (Hamlet), Marlis Petersen (Ophélia), Jennifer Larmore (Gertrude), Toby Spence (Laërte) and James Morrison (Claudius).
Rossini's "Armida," the tale of a sorceress who enthralls men in her island prison, stars Renée Fleming in the title role and Lawrence Brownlee as Rinaldo. Riccardo Frizza conducts.
Lake Placid Center of the Arts raised more than $15,000 for new equipment to bring the shows to life.
"We had to get a brand new projection system, a Blu-ray DVD player and all the necessary equipment for that," Andresen said. "We have two nice white satellites on the building. It's really cool. With this we not only get the Met live but we get anything else at www.byexperience.net. You can see music concerts and stuff like that.
The center did a test run with the "A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor."
"It was awesome," Andresen said. "It's like you're in the audience with them. It's a pretty neat experience. Going into it, I didn't know what the fuss was about. (But) it's larger than life. This new projection system is so clear. The sound is amazing."
E-mail Robin Caudell at: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com
