Martin's Lie

Martin's Lie is a chamber opera in one act with music and an English language libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by CBS, it was Menotti's third opera for television after Amahl and the Night Visitors and Labyrinth. Although not initially conceived as a work for the stage, the opera premiered in a live theatrical performance on 3 June 1964 at the Bristol Cathedral for the opening of the 17th annual Bath International Music Festival. The opera was subsequently filmed with the same cast for television under the direction of Kirk Browning with Julie Andrews serving as host. The production used sets and costumes by designer Anthony Powell, and was broadcast nationally by CBS for the opera's United States television premiere on 30 May 1965.

The first live performance of the opera in the United States was at the Washington National Cathedral in 1976, with Paul Callaway conducting both Martin's Lie and the world premiere of Menotti's The Egg. The cast included Gene Tucker as Father Cornelius, Simon Jackson as Martin, Richard Dirksen as the Fugitive, Dana Krueger as the Housekeeper, and Gimi Beni as the Sheriff.