Gay Boheme With Barihunk Romance

Bohemian Lovers: Bryce Smith & Robert Maril

Opera Manhattan is performing Puccini's "La Boheme" with a gay subplot. Purists need not get too concerned, as they haven't transformed Mimi into Bruce. In this production Colline and Schaunard have eyes for each other, which certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility.

Considering that two barihunks, Robert Maril and Bryce Smith, are the two singers in the romance, it makes sense that they'd want to snuggle up together in a cold Bohemian garret. Who could resist either of these guys?

Certainly after RENT, it only makes sense that "La Boheme" now gets an updated treatment. Smith has appeared on this site before and we welcome Robert Maril, whose name sounds suspiciously similar to a famed baritone of the 1950s and 1960s.

There are still two performances left on November 19 and 20 and tickets can be purchased at the Opera Manhattan website. Smith is also one of the co-founders of the company along with Rebecca Greenstein. We always encourage readers to support singers who promote opera in ways other than singing.

For New Yorkers who want a traditional La Boheme, the Metropolitan Opera next run of the classic begins on December 1st with barihunk Gunther Groissböck as Colline.

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Matthew Treviño: Devilishly Hot

One of our favorite things about running this site is showing the world that there is opera outside of New York. There is a wealth of talent working in "second tier" opera companies and often the performances are much more gratifying. Singers like Matthew Treviño bring an intensity and presence to the stage that may get lost in Renee Fleming's long shadow on the stage of The Met.

This devilishly good looking bass has charmed audiences in cities like Ft. Worth, Sacramento, Kansas City, Dallas, Detroit and Santa Barbara. As you can see from the photo on the bottom, Matthew Treviño can even make Colline in La Boheme look sexy. Of course, we prefer him as a soldier in Salome exposing some skin. We won't even make a joke about him playing Dick Deadeye in Kansas City!

Like many barihunks, he got his major break with the Fort Worth Opera, which has become ground zero for barihunkiness. Treviño went on to hone his skills at the prestigious Merola Opera Program where he first caught our eye.

The Texas native graduated from Baylor University and was a finalist in the Loren L. Zachary Foundation Competition, Dallas Opera Guild Competition, Fort Worth Opera’s McCammon Voice Competition, Shreveport Opera’s Singer of the Year Competition, and was the recipient of the Thomas Stewart Award for Vocal Excellence at Baylor University.

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Gunther Groissbock to heat up U.S. stages

American fans of matinee idol Gunther Groissbock will be pleased to learn that his appearances in the U.S. are becoming more common. He'll be performing Sarastro at L.A. Opera in January 2009, Daland at Atlanta Opera in April 2009, Heinrich in Lohengrin at Houston Grand Opera in November 2009 and Colline at the Metropolitan Opera a year later.