Bearded Barihunk Beauties on opposite coasts

Jenna Siladie & Jarrett Ott (Photo by Richard Termine)

Beards are clearly one of the hottest trends in the world right now, especially amongst so-called hipsters. They're so popular that the Retail Times maintains that the biggest drop in retail sales this year is for personal grooming products, particularly razors. The trend has clearly hit the opera stage, where some pretty epic beards are hitting the stage this month.

The Gotham Chamber Opera has given barihunk a beard to compete with Washington Nationals player Jayson Werth's crumb catcher. The innovative company is returning to the music of Bohuslav Martinů, which they performed to sold out shows in 2003 with their double-bill of Les larmes du couteau and Hlas lesa. This time they're back with another double-bill featuring Alexandre bis and Comedy on the Bridge.

The plot of Alexandre bis actually revolves around a beard, as a man decides to test his wife’s fidelity by shaving off his beard and posing as his own cousin from Texas. Comedy on the Bridge tells the story of two rival principalities separated by a river.

Peformances will be on October 14, 16, 17 and 18 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College in New York City. Tickets are available online. Also in the cast is Joseph Beutel, who has appeared regularly on this site

 

Philippe Sly as Ormonte

On the opposite coast, the San Francisco Opera has added a giant soup saver to the baby face of barihunk Philippe Sly in Handel's Partenope. The young Canadian, who practically stole the show in last season's Cosi fan tutte, will be singing the role of Ormonte, captain of Partenope's guard.

 

The opera opens on October 15 and runs through November 2. Tickets and additional cast information are available online. During the month of December, Sly will return to his native country to perform in Handel's Messiah withthe  Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.