music by Gaetano Donizetti, directed by Catherine Malfitano, Lyric Opera of Chicago, IL
conductor: Massimo Zanetti, costumes: Terese Wadden, lighting: Duane Schuler
principal cast: Susanna Phillips, Giuseppe Filianoti, Brian Mulligan, Quinn Kelsey, Christian Van Horn
"The tale moves swiftly, within uncluttered set designs by Wilson Chin that combines postmodern abstraction and period realism. The minimalist decor, set on a mirrored floor, evokes the brooding melancholy of the Sir Walter Scott novel. For the famous Mad Scene, the tower revolves to reveal a steep spiral staircase, at the top of which Lucia stands revealed in a blood-stained bridal gown. Susanna Phillips is required to sing this coloratura marathon while slowly making her way down those precarious-looking steps." – John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune
"A starkly attractive new production. A dark silhouetted tree dominated a genuinely creepy fountain scene, the fountain itself suggested by the interplay of Schuler's moody lighting with the mirrored flooring." – Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News
"Wilson Chin offered consistantly striking images. Chin's solution for the Wolf's Crag scene, a rounded tower with slit windows, proved unusually effective and revolved neatly to provide a splendid, light-focusing playing area for the Mad Scene." – David Shengold, Opera News
