As excuses to end a relationship go, ยHey babe, I gotta go build a city that will become the hub of historyยs greatest empireย is pretty good. But it still must have sucked to be Dido, queen of Carthage, when her fiancรฉ Aeneas left her behind and went off to establish Rome.
Itยs a story thatยs been told many times, but rarely as elegantly as in Henry Purcellยs Baroque opera Dido and Aeneas, which will be performed tonight by the Mercury Baroque and the Dominic Walsh Dance Theater in another one of their imaginative, expansive collaborations. Mezzo-soprano Krista River and baritone Kade Smith will join the Mercury Baroqueยs Artistic Director Antoine Plante and musical ensemble, along with the elegant, energetic dancers of Dominic Walshยs troupe, to tell a tale that doesnยt really end well for the couple, but worked out really great for mankind. 8 p.m. Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas. For tickets and information, call 832-251-0706 or visit www.dwdt.org. $21.75 to $47.
Sat., May 17, 8 p.m., 2008
This article appears in May 15-21, 2008.