The Rake's Progress

Making deals with the devil is never wise—but it usually makes for good drama. In Boston Lyric Opera’s production of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Tom Rakewell lets an unsavory new companion seduce him into chasing wealth, prominence and pleasure. Ben Bliss—recipient of Lincoln Center’s 2016 Emerging Artist award—makes his BLO debut as the wayward Rakewell in the 1951 opera, which Stravinsky composed after viewing William Hogarth’s 18th-century series of paintings of the same title. (In this staging, the composer himself becomes a character, played by former Boston Ballet dancer Yury Yanowsky.) See how things progress on March 12-19 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre.