Barihunks (and hunkentenor) in erotic Boys of Paradise

Promo photo for Boys of Paradise and barihunk Jack Holton (right)

The opera ensemble workshOPERA in partnership with Tête à Tête will present six performances of composer Vahan Salorian's Boys of Paradise from October 15-21. The contemporary retelling of the phoenix myth, you are invited to join the party for a neurotic, erotic, psychotic, operatic experience. The opera features barihunks Jack Holton and Sam Carl, along with hunkentenor Guy Elliott (@GuyPlus).

Based on personal experience, Boys of Paradise tells the story of a trio of friends - Twink, Cub and Fag Hag, who experience the dizzying heights of fictional club Paradaezia. As Twink is led astray through a maze of drink, drugs and darkrooms, the audience gets an insight into the chem-sex partying endemic that has evolved in London’s gay scene of the past years.

The work is interactive with the audience as the cast is dispersed among the crowd. Tickets are available online.

Sam Carl (left) and promo for Boys of Paradise

Barihunk Jack Holton grew up in Medway, Kent, and is currently in his fourth year of undergraduate study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 2015, he originated the role of Vulture in Boys of Paradise, which he reprised in July at the Tête à Tête opera festival. At Guildhall, he is currently performing as Mômolo in Le donne curiose, and earlier this year played Marquis de la Force in a reduced version of Dialogues des Carmélites. Also an experienced choral singer, he was a choral scholar at St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Chelmsford Cathedral before starting his formal training,

Sam Carl is the Artistic Director of Music of the Spheres Consort. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Glasgow University and is continuing his vocal studies in New York City. He recently performed the role of Schlendrian in The Coffee Opera, three immersive café performances of which combined music by Bach with music by contemporary composer James Oldham. He has sung the roles of Luca in Walton’s The Bear with Melos Sinfonia and Polyphemus in Acis and Galatea with John Butt. This summer, he is going to be performing the role of Ormondo in Rossini’s L’inganno Felice on a tour of Umbria with Raucous Rossini. At the Edinburgh Fringe he will be playing the role of Figaro in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.