Lincoln in the Bardo review - chills and laughs in the Met’s bold new opera

Key Points:

• The Metropolitan Opera in New York premiered an operatic adaptation of George Saunders’s Booker Prize-winning novel "Lincoln in the Bardo," marking one of its most ambitious and successful literary adaptations to date.
• The libretto by Royce Vavrek focuses on a core group of characters surrounding Abraham Lincoln’s deceased son Willie, blending humor and historical context, while Missy Mazzoli’s score combines polytonal music with emotional motifs.
• Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, the production features innovative set design, lighting, and puppetry to evoke the eerie bardo setting, balancing spectacle with moments of restraint.
• The cast, led by Peter Mattei as Lincoln, delivers strong performances that capture both the emotional depth and the surreal nature of the story, though some roles, such as Anthony Roth Costanzo’s, received mixed reviews.
• With a forthcoming film adaptation planned, this opera is poised to extend the novel’s reach, supported by enthusiastic audience reception at the Met.