Dexter, John
Dexter, John
Dexter, John, English opéra director; b. Derby, Aug. 2, 1925; d. London, March 23, 1990. He worked in London in the theater and in films; from 1957 to 1972 he was associated with the English Stage Company, and also was assoc. director of the National Theatre from 1963. In 1966 he staged his first opéra, Benvenuto Cellini, at London’s Covent Garden. After staging opéras in Hamburg (1969–72) and Paris (1973), he was director of production at the Metropolitan opéra in N.Y. (1974–81), where his memorable achievements included Les Dialogues des Carmelites and Lulu (1977), Billy Budd (1978), Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (1979), and the triple bill of Satie’s Parade, Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tiresias, and Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortileges (1981). From 1981 to 1984 he served as production advisor at the Metropolitan.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire