By Andrew Gans
and Adam Hetrick
10 Feb 2009

Paulo Szot
photo by Aubrey Reuben

Renowned baritone Paulo Szot, who won a Tony Award for his performance as Emile de Becque in the current Lincoln Center Theater production of South Pacific, will be part of Metropolitan Opera's 2009-2010 season.

Szot will star in a new production of the Dmitri Shostakovich opera The Nose, which will begin performances March 5, 2010. The production will be designed and directed by William Kentridge.

Szot will star as Kovalyov with Gordon Gietz as The Nose and Andrei Popov as the Police Inspector.

Tony winner Bartlett Sher, who directed Szot in South Pacific — which continues to play the Vivian Beaumont Theater — will also be part of the upcoming Met season. Sher will direct Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, which begins previews Dec. 3, 2009. The opera will star Rolando Villazón and Anna Netrebko.

Also of interest to theatre fans: Richard Eyre will direct a production of Carmen, which begins Dec. 31, 2009; and Tony winner Mary Zimmerman will direct Gioachino Rossini and Giovanni Schmidt's Armida, which begins April 12, 2010. The latter will feature choreography by multiple Tony nominee Graciela Daniele.

Szot has appeared in the New York City Opera productions of L'Elisir d'Amore, Carmen and Le Nozze di Figaro. He made his operatic debut as Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia in his native Sao Paolo before going on to sing lead roles with major opera companies internationally.

Sher, who was recently named Resident Director of Lincoln Center Theater, also earned Tony nominations for his work on the LCT productions of The Light in the Piazza and Awake and Sing! He is also scheduled to direct the upcoming Broadway revival of August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone.

For more information visit www.metoperafamily.org.