Zachary James prepares for Met debut with a little Cabaret

Zachary James (Photos courtesy of the artist)

Barihunk Zachary James made quite a splash with his super sexy, scantily clad performance of Sally Bowles' "Maybe this time" from Cabaret at the Bearded Ladies’ Late Night Snacks Cabaret, part of Opera Philadelphia’s O19 festival and FringeArts. The lineup also includes the legendary gender bending performer Justin Vivian Bond, as well as opera legends Stephanie Blythe and Anthony Roth Costanzo. There a couple of remaining shows before the festival closes on September 29 and tickets are available online.

The festival came with the following disclaimer; "Late Night Snacks ingredients may include artistic experimentation, adult content, consensual touch, ear worms, nudity, jubilation, great selfie material, rampant queerness, and many repeat visits."

You can see Zachary James' performance HERE.

He said this of the festival. "Several of the singers from Opera Philadelphia’s O19 festival were invited to participate in Late Night Snacks Cabaret in South Philly produced by The Bearded Ladies, a month long nightly event included in this year’s Opera Philly O19 festival and Philly FringeArts festival. We love what we do as opera singers but also all have cravings to step outside of the box and explore our versatility. Late Night Snacks hosted Stephanie Blythe screlting rock and busting out Carmen with ukulele, Anthony Roth Costanzo singing jazz in a smooth baritone, Alissa Anderson belting You Don’t Own Me, Will Liverman singing gospel accompanying himself on piano like a beast, and many more stunning turns. This was a time and space to let our hearts out and explore our hidden desires as artists."

Zachary James in Akhnaten (Photo: Jane Hobson)

James will also be making his Met debut alongside his Late Night Snacks co-stars Anthony Roth Costanzo and Will Liverman, when he reprises his performance as Amenhotep III in Philip Glass' Akhnaten, which runs from Noevember 8-December 7. Tickets are available online.

David McFerrin in Philip Glass rarity in Boston

David McFerrin

Barihunk David McFerrin will play The Officer in Boston Lyric Opera's performance of Philip Glass’ In the Penal Colony at the Cyclorama at Boston Center for the Arts from November 11-15, 2015. The production will be directed by the innovative R. B. Schlather and also features tenor Neal Ferreira as the The Visitor and Yury Yanowsky as The Soldier.

In the Penal Colony is a one-act, three-character chamber opera, which Glass dubbed a “pocket opera” for its small cast and musical ensemble. In the Penal Colony is in English and plays out in 16 scenes and features a libretto by Rudy Wurlitzer.

The opera is based on the 1914 Franz Kafka short story: a pitch-black fable about crime and a very unusual punishment.  In the Penal Colony tells the story of The Officer and The Visitor -- and an ominous machine designed to punish prisoners for their crimes. The opera debuted in 2000 at ACT Theater in San Francisco in a co-production with Chicago’s Court Theater. It premiered in New York City the following year and has subsequently had several productions in Europe and Australia, but hasn’t been seen in the U.S. for 14 years.

This isn't Boston Lyric Opera's first foray into Glass' operas, as they produced a highly popular version of his Akhnaten in 1999.

Tickets and additional information are available online.

MAKE SURE TO ORDER YOUR 2016 BARIHUNKS CALENDAR BEFORE THE HOLIDAY RUSH; 18 OF THE WORLD'S HOTTEST SINGER FROM 9 COUNTRIES.