Tony Award–winning director Bartlett Sher’s new staging of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette updates the action to 18th-century Verona and conjures both the magic and heartbreak of this timeless love story. Tenor Vittorio Grigolo and soprano Diana Damrau enchanted audiences as Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, with Damrau displaying glittering coloratura virtuosity and Grigolo delivering passionate longing and a moving rendition of the famous aria “Ah! lève-toi, soleil!” On the podium, maestro Gianandrea Noseda draws a wealth of orchestral color from Gounod’s lush score.