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Jake Heggie’s
Dead Man Walking
MET PREMIERE
Terrence McNally (Librettist)
Live: Saturday, Oct. 21 at 10:00 a.m.
Encore: Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 3:00 p.m.
There will be a pre-opera talk led by John Steinbrunner one hour before the LIVE performance on Saturday.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Conductor), Latonia Moore (Sister Rose), Joyce DiDonato (Sister Helen Prejean), Susan Graham (Mrs. Patrick De Rocher), Ryan McKinny (Joseph De Rocher)
Jake Heggie’s powerful work has its highly anticipated Met premiere in a new production by Ivo van Hove. Based on Sister Helen Prejean’s memoir about her fight for the soul of a condemned murderer, Dead Man Walking matches the high drama of its subject with Heggie’s poignant music and a libretto by Tony and Emmy Award–winner Terrence McNally.
Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium, with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato starring as Sister Helen. The cast also features bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as the death-row inmate Joseph De Rocher, soprano Latonia Moore as Sister Rose, and mezzo-soprano Susan Graham — who sang Helen Prejean in the opera’s 2000 premiere — as De Rocher’s mother.
Act I
Sister Helen teaches a hymn to a group of children. She travels to Angola State Penitentiary to meet death-row inmate Joseph De Rocher. Joseph and Helen have an awkward first meeting, but he asks her to accompany his mother to the Pardon Board hearing. Mrs. De Rocher pleads for her son’s life. Joseph’s family and the murder victims’ families wait for a verdict, and news arrives that the appeal has been denied. Helen urges Joseph to acknowledge his guilt. She becomes faint as a jumble of voices clutters her mind.
Act II
Joseph voices feelings about his impending death, Sister Helen, and his victims. Sister Rose comforts Helen and helps her admit that she still has to forgive Joseph herself. Helen urges Joseph to take responsibility for his actions. He has a tearful farewell with his mother and brothers. The parents of the victims arrive and upbraid Helen for siding with the murderer. Alone with Helen, Joseph finally admits his guilt. She tells him that she will be the face of love for him when he dies. They exchange an emotional goodbye. Joseph asks the parents’ forgiveness, and the lethal injection is administered. Once the witnesses leave, Helen repeats the hymn: “He will gather us around.”
Content Advisory: Dead Man Walking contains a depiction of a rape and murder, as well as other adult themes and strong language.
The 2023-2024 Met Live Opera season in Sedona is generously sponsored by Bea Hanks, Chris Fladlien and Jim Dunne.
The season is dedicated in loving memory to Marc DuCharme.