Live from the Met: opera on the big screen

It's here: the Metropolitan Opera's schedule of live high-definition broadcasts in movie theaters, with tickets to go on sale to the general public Nov. 9. After a successful inaugural season of these broadcasts last season, the Met is upping the number of broadcasts from six to eight, and adding "encore performances" of each production on the day after the initial broadcast.

The number of theaters is up, too, and actually includes a Seattle venue: AMC Pacific Place Theaters, 600 Pine St. in downtown. Other broadcast venues in the Seattle area:

• Auburn Stadium 17 Theatres, 1101 Super Mall Way, Auburn.

• Century Theatres, 2001 S. Common, Federal Way.

• Capital Mall 14, 625 Black Lake Blvd., Olympia.

• Rose Theatre, 235 Taylor St., Port Townsend.

• Bella Botega Stadium 11, 8890 161st Ave. N.E., Redmond.

The Seattle, Federal Way and Olympia venues also will show the "encore performances."

Tickets cost $15-$22 for all broadcasts, live and encore. Buy them online at www.fathomevents.com or at the participating theaters' box offices. Metropolitan Opera members (membership requires a $125 donation, at www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/support/hd.aspx) can buy tickets now.

You may also buy tickets through the theaters' online dealers: Regal/Edwards/United Artists theaters and some AMC theaters via www.fandango.com; most AMC theaters (www.movietickets.com); and Cinemark and Century theaters (www.cinemark.com).

The Fathom Web site notes that there may be a lag between the time ticketing is activated at the box office and when it is available online via Fathom. Here's the schedule and casting:

Dec. 15: Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette"; conductor Plácido Domingo; production Guy Joosten; with Anna Netrebko, Isabel Leonard, Nathan Gunn, Robert Lloyd. Encore Dec. 16.

Jan. 1, 2008: Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel"; conductor Vladimir Jurowski; production Richard Jones; Christine Schäfer, Alice Coote, Rosalind Plowright, Philip Langridge, Alan Held. Encore Jan. 6.

Jan. 12: Verdi's "Macbeth"; conductor James Levine; production Adrian Noble; Roberto Aronica, Lado Ataneli, John Relyea. Encore Jan. 13.

Feb. 16: Puccini's "Manon Lescaut"; conductor James Levine; Karita Mattila, Marcello Giordani, Dwayne Croft, Dale Travis. Encore Feb. 17.

March 15: Britten's "Peter Grimes"; conductor Donald Runnicles; production John Doyle; Patricia Racette, Anthony Dean Griffey, Anthony Michaels-Moore. Encore March 16.

March 22: Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde"; conductor James Levine; production Dieter Dorn; Deborah Voigt, Michelle DeYoung, Ben Heppner, Eike Wilm Schulte, Matti Salminen. Encore March 23.

April 5: Puccini's "La Boheme"; conductor Nicola Luisotti; production Franco Zeffirelli; Angela Gheorghiu, Ainhoa Arteta, Ramón Vargas, Ludovic Tézier, Quinn Kelsey, Oren Gradus, Paul Plishka. Encore April 6.

April 26: Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment"; conductor Marco Armiliato; production Laurent Pelly; Natalie Dessay, Felicity Palmer, Juan Diego Flórez, Alessandro Corbelli, Zoe Caldwell. Encore April 27.

Melinda Bargreen: mbargreen@seattletimes.com