Erik Larson makes role debut at Billy Bigelow

Erik Larson as Billy Bigelow

We first met Erik Larson busting out of his pants two years ago and we instantly fell so in love with the Midwestern barihunk. Now he's singing "So In Love" for the first time ever as Billy Bigelow in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical Carousel. It's is role debut and it played for two nights at the Middleton Players Theatre in Wisconsin. He'll also sing the beautiful Soliloquy, which is one of the most famous baritone arias from a Broadway musical 

Gordon McRae sings Soliloquy from Carousel:

Known as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s favorite of all their collaborations, Carousel tells the beautiful and heartwrenching story of a young woman who falls in love with a roustabout carnival barker. Carousel is based on Ferenc Molnár's Hungarian-language drama, Liliom, which premiered in Budapest in 1909. Except for the ending, the plots of Liliom and Carousel are very similar.

Famous interpreters of Billy Bigelow have included John Raitt, Gordon MacRae, Stephen Douglass, Robert Goulet, Nathan Gunn, Bruce Yarnell, Michael Hayden, Howard Keel and Patrick Wilson.

Ryan McKinny returns to Glimmerglass as Billy Bigelow

(Photo: Karli Cadel/The Glimmerglass Festival)

Über-barihunk Ryan McKinny, whose photos from the Glimmerglass Festival's production of Wagner's The Flying Dutchman last summer instantly went viral, is now appearing as Billy Bigelow in their new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. The production opened last night and runs through August 22nd. 

Performances on August 12 and 19 will feature the young barihunk Chris Carr as Billy Bigelow. The production also features Glimmerglass Young Artist Ben Edquist as Jigger Craigin. Edquist, who took first place in the Lotte Lenya Competition, is completing his Masters in Music at Rice University.

Ben Edquist

 

Ben Edquist as Jigger Craigin (Photos: Karli Cadel/The Glimmerglass Festival)

Carousel is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most famous musicals, and was reportedly the composer’s favourite score. The show was turned into an MGM film in 1956 which starred Gordon McRae and Shirley Jones. The original 1945 Broadway production featured the legendary John Raitt as Billy Bigelow. Carousel tells the story of a carousel barker’s struggles to rise above challenging circumstances. The musical includes such favorites as “If I Loved You,” “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Ryan McKinny as Billy Bigelow and Andrea Carroll as Julie Jordan (Photo: Karli Cadel/The Glimmerglass Festival)

Carousel will run in repertory with Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Strauss’ Ariadne in Naxos and Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy.

For more information on the 2014 Glimmerglass Festival and performance dates and times, call the Box Office at (607) 547-2255 or visit their website.

 

Nathan Gunn and Timothy McDevitt in PBS "Carousel" telecast

Nathan Gunn (left) and Tim McDevitt (right)

The PBS show "Live from Lincoln Center" will broadcast the New York Philharmonic's performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel on April 26th. The performance features barihunk Nathan Gunn as the carnival barker Billy Bigelow and Kelli O'Hara as Julie Jordan. But keep your eyes peeled for Timothy McDevitt in the ensemble. He's clearly the next generation of barihunkitude and may well be a Billy Bigelow in a future broadcast.

McDevitt will be singing Le Mari in Poulenc's Les Mamelles de Tiresias at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence on June 14th and 15th. Nathan Gunn can currently be seen in Dominick Argento's The Aspern Papers at the Dallas Opera. There is one performance remaining on April 28th and tickets are available online.

Tony Award winner John Rando, who is best known for Urinetown and A Christmas Story, directed the performance. Check your local listings for broadcast times and stations in your area.

Mark Womack

Mark Womack: Conquering opera and musical theater

 

Oklahoma native Mark Womack is one of a number of barihunks who has previously been suggested to us, but somehow fell through the cracks. The versatile singer  has made his mark in both opera and musical theater. He is another of a long line of baritones who performed in Baz Luhrmann’s production of La Bohème where he sang the role of Marcello.   

Other operatic roles have included Friedrich Bhaer in “Little Women” with Syracuse Opera,  Escamillo in “Carmen” with Utah Festival Opera, Sharpless in “Madama Butterfly” with Sarasota Opera, the title role in Don Giovanni with Anchorage Opera, Count Almaviva in “Le Nozze di Figaro” with Mississippi Opera and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette. 

His musical theater credits include Billy Bigelow in “Carousel,” Edward Rutledge in “1776,” Sky Masterson in “Guys and Dolls,” Captain Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music,” Curly in “Oklahoma” and Joseph Cable in “South Pacific.”   

In 2001 his schedule is primarily on the operatic stage, singing the Papageno in the Magic Flute, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte with Skylight Opera, Don Giovanni at the Utah Opera Festival and Germont pere at the Knoxville Opera. Unfortunately, his portrayal of Frank Chambers in “The Postman Always Rings Twice” was a victim of the Sacramento Opera being the latest company to shut its doors.

Here he is performing from the musical "1776":

 

Last Chance for Matthew Worth's "Owen Wingrave"

[Photo Credits: ALL PHOTOS BY LIZ LAUREN; Top photo inlcudes Robin Leggate, second photo includes Mason Baker (boy) and Blake Montgomery, third photo includes Kevin Anderson, bottom photo is a screen cap from WGN TV]

Today is your last chance to see Matthew Worth perform in Benjamin Britten's timely opera "Owen Wingrave." As an enticement to those of you within traveling distance of the Windy City, here are some more pictures, courtesy of the Chicago Opera Theater. If you haven't been to one of their performances, you are missing great singers and wonderful productions on a limited budget. They may not be the Chicago Lyric Opera, but they can pack the same punch as their bigger counterpart. And when was the last time you saw Owen Wingrave in a big house?

For more information visit: http://www.chicagooperatheater.org/tix/season/wingrave.html

You can watch Matthew Worth perform "If I Loved You" from Rogers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" at: http://www.chicagooperatheater.org/news/2009previews-WGNmidday.html

This site can be contacted at barihunks@gmail.com

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Randal Turner Crosses Over

It looks like barihunk Paulo Szot isn't the only opera singer crossing over into musicals. Perennial Barihunks favorite Randal Turner recently wrapped up a run of playing Billy Bigelow in Carousel in Darmstadt. We thought that you'd enjoy a few photos of this singer who is steamy hot playing just about any role.