Girl from the Wild West

Puccini's gripping drama set in the Wild West returns in Richard Jones's first new production in thirty years. Puccini's “American” opera, based on David Belasco's play “The Girl from the Golden West,” had its lavish and widely commented world premiere in 1910 at the Metropolitan Opera, with the composer in the audience. Set during the California Gold Rush, the title girl is one of Puccini's most attractive heroines — a strong, independent woman determined to win over her beloved. Although after its initial success, the opera lost its popularity for several decades, it is now ranked among the best works of Puccini.