Millions for New Stagings Yield Mixed Results for Met Opera

The Metropolitan Opera’s investment in new productions, a bone of contention among unions facing management proposals to steeply cut labor costs, has produced mixed success at the box office, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The Met put $21.8-million into creating seven new productions for the 2012-13 season, figures that do not include costs such as set storage, costume cleaning, and rehearsal pay for singers and musicians. In a letter to opera board members last month, the Met orchestra’s union asserted that revivals outperformed shows commissioned by General Manager Peter Gelb at the box office, which opera officials dispute.

Mr. Gelb has proposed changes in work rules and benefits that would cut its labor bill by 16 percent to 17 percent, saying the opera risks financial failure unless it reins in personnel costs. A Journal analysis of tickets sales found that new shows generally sold better than revivals, but some performed poorly when brought back to the stage a year or two after their debuts.