With Teddy Tahu Rhodes rapidly making a name for himself as the next barihunk, we don't have to worry about directors suddenly putting shirts back on baritones. He already sings the hunk roles of Don Giovanni, Billy Budd, Dead Man Walking and Streetcar Named Desire, so we can look forward to years of him bare chested on the major stages of the world. He's already charmed audiences in San Francisco, Houston, Paris, Dallas and Munich, as well as in his native New Zealand.
Nickname: The Singing Surfer
Someone is going to complain that Rhodes is debasing the art. The fact is that in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, opera singers were like rock stars. Sexual appeal was as much a part of their draw as it is of pop stars today. I don't know whether he can sing the part of Joachanan in Strause's Salome, but, if he could, it would explain the sexual tension between the Baptist and Salome. You need a sexy, scantily clad man to explain why Salome would be so attracted to a man who is otherwise so puritanical.
ReplyDeleteI think, if the role calls for it, lose the shirt. It's not hurting his singing.
Well, let the debasement begin! Having just seen TTR steal the show in the Met's Peter Grimes, I've stopped drooling just long enough to purchase my ticket to see him in Billy Budd in Santa Fe. This hunk can sing and act AND take over the stage with his fantastic looks.
ReplyDeleteAs a Met patron and season subscriber, I've been witnessing the transformation that Peter Gelb has brought to the house. It's certainly no coincidence that the last couple of seasons we've been treated to the talents of many more attractive singers than in the past. Bringing sexy back to the opera makes things more interesting for everyone, especially the younger generations on whom the future of opera depends.