59 Studio was invited to reimagine the world of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay for New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Opening the Met’s 2025/2026 season, the production explores themes of immigration, Jewish identity, artistic ambition, resilience and the struggle against fascism. This is brought to life through bold visuals inspired by the comic book world and the lively streets of 1940s New York City.
In this new operatic adaptation of Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, set shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, two Jewish cousins invent an anti-fascist superhero and launch their own comic-book series, hoping to recruit America into the fight against Nazism.
Incorporating electronic elements and a variety of musical styles, composer Mason Bates’s eclectic score moves seamlessly among the three worlds of Gene Scheer’s libretto: Nazi-occupied Prague, the bustling streets of New York City, and the technicolour realm of comic-book fantasy. Bartlett Sher’s production provides spectacular visuals to match, with towering sets and projections designed by 59.
The production marks the first time that the Met had selected a single studio to produce set, lighting and video design, giving the 59 team both the freedoms and the challenges of designing seamlessly across disciplines to bring the story to life. Taking on a broad range of design responsibilities gave us greater scope to explore an integrated, multi-dimensional approach to help more fully realise the ambition of the project.
Borrowing approaches and techniques from our work on Broadway and in the realm of immersive experience design allowed us to bring a fresh perspective to the classical world of opera, one that enhances storytelling while honouring traditional production methodology. With this knowledge, we wanted to blur the boundary between set and story and elevate the audience experience.
We are excited for both returning and new audiences to experience the show, which runs from September 21st to October 11th 2025.