Great Performances at the Met: Exterminating Angel

The Exterminating Angel was inspired by the classic Luis Buñuel film of the same name, and stars John Tomlinson and Alice Coote. Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham is the host. Thomas Adès’s production is set in a luxurious mansion at the beginning of a fancy party. Inexplicably, all the servants, except the butler Julio, escape the De Nobile mansion while guests enjoy their meal. The guests feel no motivation to go home and instead make themselves comfortable for the night. When morning comes and the guests realize they can’t leave, panic sets in and two visitors take their own lives, while another, who was ill, dies. Suddenly, Leticia realizes that everyone is in exactly the same place as when their captivity began. They repeat their actions from the first night and are ultimately able to escape, but their freedom will not last long.