Talk about high contrast! The Met: Live in HD will return to Guild Hall Saturday at 1 p.m. with Verdi’s “Macbeth,” and the weekend will conclude on Sunday evening at 7 with the film “We Met at Grossinger’s.”
The first Shakespeare play adapted for an opera by Verdi, “Macbeth” premiered in Florence in 1847 and was revised by the composer in 1865 for a new production in Paris. The drama centers on Macbeth, a real historical Scottish king, who is haunted after murdering King Duncan in order to seize the crown, and his ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth.
The Met’s first new production of the opera in 20 years has been staged by Louisa Proske and conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin. It stars Quinn Kelsey as Macbeth and Lise Davidsen as his blood-stained wife.
In his New York Times review, Oussama Zahr said, “With two thoroughly committed stars as Macbeth and his Lady, and a conductor with a penchant for high-octane drama, the show lent fresh tension and heart-stopping insight to a popular opera and its even more popular source material.” He went on to cite Kelsey’s “stupendous performance” and Davidsen’s “patently thrilling” sound.
The production also stars Freddie De Tommaso as Macduff and Ryan Speedo Green as Banquo.
Tickets are $35. Refreshments, including sandwiches, will be available for purchase at the coffee bar and are permitted in the theater.
Directed by Paula Eiselt, “We Met at Grossinger’s” (2025) is an “immersive journey through the Jewish Catskills — also known as the Borscht Belt — reviving the iconic resort that inspired ‘Dirty Dancing’ and defined an era of Jewish American life,” according to the film’s website.
Founded by Asher and Malke Grossinger and located in the town of Liberty, the resort operated from the 1910s until 1986 and was one of the largest in the Borscht Belt. Among the notables it attracted were Mel Brooks, Jerry Seinfeld, Jackie Robinson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jack Benny, George Burns, Sammy Davis Jr., and Barbra Streisand.
From Forbes magazine: “Packed with insights from members of the Grossinger family, former employees of the resort, historians, and entertainers, the documentary . . . is an inspiring affirmation of the American Dream, female empowerment, and the importance of diversity in the face of intolerance.”
The screening will be followed by a conversation with Robert Friedman, the producer, and Susan Etess, Jennie Grossinger’s granddaughter. Joy Behar will moderate. Tickets are $40.
