Following the success of New York Times Critic’s Picks GIULIO CESARE (2025) and RODELINDA (2023), Hudson Hall announces the next two productions in its acclaimed Handel on the Hudson series: DEIDAMIA in April/May 2027, and a staged production of MESSIAH in December 2027.
Composed in the same year, Messiah and Deidamia reveal the full range of Handel’s legacy. Messiah is a cultural touchstone. Deidamia is one of Handel’s best-kept secrets, rarely staged and hiding in plain sight. Presented together in the same year at Hudson Hall, they offer a rare opportunity to move beyond a composer’s greatest hits and discover the deep cuts. With R.B. Schlather and Ruckus as expert guides, it promises to be an unforgettable adventure.
DEIDAMIA tickets go on sale to members Fall 2026 and to the public January 2027. MESSIAH tickets go on sale Spring 2027. Become a Member or Join the Producer’s Circle.
DEIDAMIA
Opera by G.F. Handel, premiered at Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre on January 10, 1741
Performances sung in Italian with projected English supertitles
Direction and Production by R.B. Schlather
With early music band Ruckus
A hero in hiding. A lover left behind. A destiny that cannot be escaped.
Handel’s rarely performed final opera arrives at Hudson Hall in a bold new production from R.B. Schlather and the acclaimed early music ensemble Ruckus.
Disguised as a girl on the island of Skyros, Achilles believes he can outrun fate. But Deidamia, who loves him, discovers what prophecy already knows: some destinies demand everything. Featuring hidden identities, impossible desire, comic disguises, and devastating heartbreak, Handel’s dazzling blend of comedy and tragedy is brought to life with period instruments, a cast of emerging and established stars, and Schlather’s contemporary theatrical sensibility.
A rare chance to experience an overlooked gem in the intimate setting of New York State’s oldest surviving theater.
Performance Dates:
OPENING NIGHT: Saturday, April 17, 2027 at 4pm
Tuesday, April 20 at 6pm
Friday, April 23 at 6pm
Sunday, April 25 at 3pm
Saturday, May 1 at 6pm
Sunday, May 2 at 3pm
Tickets:
On sale to members Fall 2026. On sale to the public January 2027.
Open Rehearsals:
April 3 & 10, 2027
Cast:
Emily Richter, Deidamia
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Ulisse
Sophia Hunt, Achille
Meredith Wohlgemuth, Nerea
William Socolof, Fenice
David Pittsinger, Lycomedes
Ruckus:
Douglas Balliett, bass
Elliot Figg, harpsichord
Coleman Itzkoff, cello
Caitlyn Koester, harpsichord
Ravenna Lipchik, violin
Joseph Monticello, flute
Manami Mizumoto, violin
Paul Holmes Morton, guitar/theorbo
Rebecca Nelson, violin
Rafa Prendergast, violin
Clay Zeller-Townson, bassoon
Creative Team:
Associate Producer: Daniel Stermer
Scenic Associate: Erica Zhang
Costume Design: Terese Wadden
Lighting Design: Zack Lobel
Dramaturg: Joseph Cermatori
Hair & Makeup: Matia Emsellem
Supertitles: Steven Jude Tietjen
Movement, Fight, Intimacy: Skye Bronfenbrenner
Hudson Hall is grateful to the following supporters who have generously contributed to the Handel on the Hudson series:
Lead support from: The Karen & Robert Schlather Family Fund, and The Asbjorn Lunde Foundation.
Producer’s Circle: Northlands Foundation, Serra and Glenn Butash, the Steven Hatfield and Patrick Riordan Charitable Fund, and the Tiger Baron Foundation.
Additional support from the Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation, the Joan Shafran & Rob Haimes Foundation, John “Jack” Roberts, Lise Suino, and the Raymond Han and Paul Kellogg Foundation.
Artist housing supported in part by Kaatsbaan Cultural Park.
Preferred Hotel Partner of Hudson Hall: Pocketbook Hudson Hotel and Baths. Enjoy 15% off reservations during the opera using code Handel.
Hudson Hall’s programs are made possible with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.