John Adams’ Nativity oratorio ‘El Nino’ gets colorful staging at the Met

By MIKE SILVERMAN
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Composer John Adams’ work is returning to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time in a decade in a new staging of his Nativity oratorio “El Nino.” The show, which premieres April 23, melds biblical verses and modern Latin American poetry, medieval texts and more to retell the story of Jesus’s birth and early life through the eyes of Mary. Director Lileana Blain-Cruz, who says the piece has been “haunting my consciousness for awhile,” has created a vibrant, multi-colored production that employs puppets, projections, dancers, and an onstage chorus.