Renée Fleming stars as `Nixon in China’ arrives in Paris
By RONALD BLUM
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — Renée Fleming spent decades portraying generals’ wives, a countess and a courtesan. Now she is playing the role of former first lady Pat Nixon as John Adams’ “Nixon in China” gets its Paris Opera premiere in a production starring Thomas Hampson as the president. “Nixon” premiered at the Houston Grand Opera in 1987 with realistic sets by Peter Sellars. Argentine director Valentina Carrasco’s Paris production replaced literalism with metaphor, a dark American eagle pitted against a bright red dragon and of pingpong tables symbolizing both diplomacy and the quest for superiority.
