“Someone Walking Around With a Horned Helmet:” Wagner’s Ring Cycle Comes to the Latchis

Starting August 18, 2025

You don’t have to be an opera lover to know about Wagner’s “The Ring Cycle,” the mega-event (actually a series of four related operas) that stretches over 15 hours and is performed over four days. One now-converted fan, Gabe Meline, wrote about what propelled him there in an article titled exactly what you may be asking yourself, How Crazy Do You Have to Be to Sit Through 15 Hours of Opera?

“I’ll be honest. I signed up to see The Ring for one reason, and that’s to be able to say that I did it. Like reading War and Peace, climbing Mount Everest, or running the Boston marathon, you see The Ring at least in part for bragging rights. I came up playing in punk bands and listening to rap music, and while I’d grown to love some opera, my foundational years were not exactly proper training for 15 hours of it, spread over four days.”

Here is the part you might appreciate even if you’re never going to subject yourself to/give yourself the opportunity to see (you pick the appropriate language) Wagner’s opus. In 2025, there is exactly one place in the US where you could see it if you wanted to: right here in Vermont.

In Brattleboro at the historic Latchis Theatre, to be precise. It is being staged by TUNDI Productions, a Vermont-based group devoted to all things Wagner.

"TUNDI, this brave little band of artists in the brave little state of Vermont, is putting on some of the most thrilling Wagner in the world."— C. Tennyson Crowe

I’ve been intrigued with the Latchis Theater since I stayed at the hotel there a few years ago on one of our personal “discover your own backyard” weekends. (Read about it here and view the amazing photo of a theater with yesteryear vibes.) From an email from the Latchis about the upcoming performances:

For us at the Latchis, it means renewed friendships - we've come to know these TUNDI folks well over the years - and some unique experiences - great singers seemingly fill every nook and cranny of our building, and it's not uncommon to hear them warming up or working on stuff. It's also not that unusual to see someone walking around with a horned helmet or a (fake) spear.

Wagner in Vermont culminates with performances of the Ring Cycle from Aug. 18-24, with other lectures, recitals and performances thrown in. Wagner fans are a loyal bunch, and they follow the Ring like Deadheads followed the Grateful Dead. We've had folks come from as far away as Germany for previous festivals, and several we know are traveling across the country to see the Ring.

This stuff is not everyone's cup of tea - Mark Twain famously quipped "Wagner's music isn't as bad as it sounds." And Wagner's life and work are fraught with troubling statements and associations. [Wagner’s anti-Semitism, which has caused some to eschew his music]. But TUNDI's aim is to return the focus to the music and drama of the work itself, to break down the barriers between audiences and this music, and to invite people to experience the deep and raw humanity at the heart of this epic work.

Convinced? Tickets are available here. Much info on the TUNDI website about related events and where you can grab a bite to sustain you through this multi-day once (?) in a lifetime experience. Want just a snippet? Here is a link to the Danish National Orchestra playing (of course) “Ride of the Valkyries.” And a short piece by Hugh Keelan on why The Ring Cycle matters now.

This post is in memory of you, dear friend and opera lover, Marilyse.

(Image, top, by TUNDI Productions)

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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.