Teatro Grattacielo is proud to present the revival of Pietro Mascagni's charming verismo opera, L'Amico Fritz. This new production aims to introduce a wider audience to the rarely performed masterpiece, last presented by the company in 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The opera will be directed by Anna Laura Miszerak. Click here for tickets and more information.

Music by: Pietro Mascagni. Libretto by: Nicola Daspuro (pseudonym for P. Suardon). Location: The Downstairs Theater, La MaMa, Creative Shares, 66 East 4th Street, New York, NY. Dates: July 19 - 20, 2025. Sung in Italian with English supertitles

“This production of L’Amico Fritz explores the contrast at the heart of Mascagni’s opera: a seemingly simple libretto paired with richly nuanced, multilayered music. Inspired by Mascagni’s own desire to let music speak beyond text, the staging delves into the emotional complexity of the characters, where music evokes what the words leave unsaid. At its center is Suzel, the expressive core around whom the others revolve—her emotional growth and the tension with Fritz unfold through gesture and movement, revealing layers of unspoken truth. With a conceptual, symbolist aesthetic, the production opens emotional spaces suggested by the score, creating a world of suspended reality where characters navigate love, trauma, and joy in pursuit of liberation.”

– Anna Laura Miszerak, director

La MaMa and all Teatro Grattacielo productions are wheelchair accessible and disability-friendly. Please contact them in advance for any specific accommodation needs.

L’Amico Fritz is partially made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Anna Laura Miszerak was partially supported by OPERA America’s Marineau Opera Grants for Women Stage Directors and Conductors, generously funded by the Marineau Family Foundation.