Dead Man Walking coming to Montreal, Eugene & Boston

Michael Mayes as Joseph de Rocher and at the gym

We have a million reasons to love composer Jake Heggie, but perhaps we love him most for writing great leading roles for baritones. His opera Dead Man Walking has quickly entered the standard repertory and it's lead character Joseph de Rocher is invariably played by a barihunk. Yet another reason to love him.

Within three weeks, three productions of the opera will be running, one in Eugene, Oregon, one in Boston and the other in Montreal, Quebec. Michael Mayes, who transformed from bari-chunk to bari-hunk, to play the role at the Tulsa Opera, will reprise the role in Eugene. Etienne Dupuis will take on the role in Montreal, with Philip Kalmanovitch also appearing in the cast, who appears regularly on this site. John Arnold and Jonathan Stinson will alternate the role in Boston.

Etienne Dupuis and Jeanette Kelly from the CBC

When Mayes transformed his body during his Tulsa run it created a sensation on Barihunks when we ran the before and after pictures. Apparently, Etienne Dupuis has taken serioulsy the physical demands of the role, as well. He's hired two trainers to get in shape, including helping him develop the skills to sing and do pushups at the same time. You can listen to his interview on the CBC where he talks about getting in shape for the role. Dupuis and hot Jeanette Kelly also spend a good deal of time talking about the concept of barihunks and the increasing need to look the part on stage. We recommend that you play it to the end, so you can hear him sing "Hello" by Lionel Ritchie.

Performances at Opera de Montreal run from March 9-16th and tickets are available online. The opera will be performed at the Eugene Opera on March 15 and 17 and tickets are available online. Performances with the Boston Opera Collaborative will run daily from March 15-18 with tickets available online.