Metropolitan Opera live in HD airs in Whitefish

Whitefish Theatre Company, in collaboration with the Whitefish Performing Arts Center, presents “El Ultimo Sueno De Frida Y Diego” as the final opera in the 2025-2026 live streaming season of the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD.  

American composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s first opera, taking enthusiastic inspiration from Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s relationship, will be shown on Saturday, May 30 at 11 a.m. at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center.  

Approximate run time is 2 hours and 50 minutes with one intermission. Tickets are sold only at the door, which will open at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students, paid by cash or check only. Stipends are available for students. 

Sung in Spanish with subtitles, this vibrant new production unfolds on Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, in 1957, three years after Frida’s death. Now aging and burdened by grief, Diego longs for one final moment with Frida, the love of his life. In Mictlán, the Aztec underworld, Frida has finally found peace, free from the physical pain, sickness, and heartbreak that shaped her earthly existence. However, La Catrina, Keeper of the Dead, insists she must accompany Diego as he nears the end of his life. Urging Frida to return to the land of the living — not just for Diego, but for herself, her art, and the chance to paint once more, unburdened by pain - Frida reluctantly agrees to return for 24 hours, bound by one rule: She cannot touch the living. What follows is a poignant reunion between two artists bound by a connection that transcends their time together. 

This magical-realist portrait of Mexico’s painterly power couple is fashioned as a reversal of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth where Frida leaves the underworld to reunite with Diego. Beyond the immortal romance, “El Ultimo Sueno De Frida Y Diego” is also an endearing illustration of the Mexican culture and spirituality that was foundational to these two artists, taking enthusiastic inspiration from both Frida and Diego’s paintings like a mural come to life. This production doesn’t simply portray two artists’ fantastical reunion, but honors their art, as well as the rituals of remembrance, that continue to connect the living with those who have passed. 

Three-time Grammy Award–winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard stars as Frida, following her Met role debut in the title role of Bizet’s “Carmen”, and baritone Carlos Álvarez co-stars as Diego. The cast also features soprano Gabriella Reyes as Catrina, mistress of the underworld, and countertenor Nils Wanderer as Leonardo. The story of this famously feuding pair who briefly relive their tumultuous love is directed and choreographed by Deborah Colker. Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Frank’s “confident, richly imagined score” (The New Yorker) that “bursts with color and fresh individuality” (Los Angeles Times). 

The Live in HD experience offers exclusive behind-the-scenes content and cast interviews. Food and beverage will be available for purchase during the performance.  

For more information, visit www.whitefishtheatreco.org or call 406-862-5371.