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Jackie Chan is heading to the opera house. The legendary actor and martial arts icon will make his opera directing debut with a new production of Turandot, opening the 72nd Puccini Festival this summer.
The production will open on July 17 and promises to weave martial arts directly into the fabric of Puccini’s final masterpiece, transforming movement into storytelling, according to a press release from the festival.
Chan, best known for the Rush Hour franchise and decades of action cinema, joins a growing list of Hollywood figures stepping behind the opera podium, following the likes of Ralph Fiennes and Christoph Waltz.
The production boasts a starry roster of vocal talent. Anna Pirozzi, Andrea Vittorio De Campo, Roberto Alagna, and Aleksandra Kurzak are set to lead the cast, with additional performances featuring Angela Meade, Michele Pertusi, Gregory Kunde, Ermonela Jaho, Olga Maslova, Brian Jagde, Pretty Yende, and Rosa Feola.
The Puccini Festival takes place annually in Torre del Lago, Italy, the lakeside town where Giacomo Puccini composed many of his most beloved works. Turandot, the composer’s final opera, was left unfinished at his death in 1924.
