Star Tenor Roberto Alagna Rises to his Role in 'Manon Lescaut'

In late January, the Metropolitan Opera faced a crisis. Tenor Jonas Kaufmann was sick and had to withdraw from a new production of Giacomo Puccini’s "Manon Lescaut" which was scheduled to open in just 16 days. The role was offered to star tenor Roberto Alagna, who had never sung the role. He accepted the challenge, and the production opened on February 12th. In his review in The New York Times, Anthony Tommasini wrote that Alagna gave, “an ardent, impassioned performance”... “with courage, determination and a healthy measure of ambition.”

"Manon Lescaut” premiered February 12th and runs for nine performances through March 11th. For tickets, visit the metopera.org.