Joseph Lattanzi to reprise lead role in Fellow Travelers

Joseph Lattanzi and Aaron Blake in Fellow Travelers

The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced that barihunk Joseph Lattanzi will reprise the role of Hawkins Fuller in Gregory Spears' opera Fellow Travelers.

Fellow Travelers, which was written in collaboration with librettist Greg Pierce and director Kevin Newbury, was developed in a 2013 Opera Fusion workshop. Lattanzi sang both the workshops for the opera, as well as the world premiere at the Cincinnati Opera last year. Newbury will also direct the Chicago performances.

Joseph Lattanzi sings "Our very own home" from Fellow Travelers:

The cast will include tenor Jonas Hacker as Timothy Laughlin, who falls in love with Hawkins Fuller during the height of the McCarthy era in 1950s Washington D.C. Devon Guthrie will sing the role of Mary Johnson, Hawkins’s assistant and Timothy’s confidante.

This chamber work will be presented in four performances at the Athenaeum Theatre between March 17-25, 2018

You can catch Lattanzi as Sonora in Puccini's La Fanciulla del West at Virginia Opera from November 10-December 3. Performances will be in Norfolk, Richmond and Fairfax. 

Hear bass-barihunk Bradley Smoak live on WFMT

Bradley Smoak (Photo by: Ken Howard left and Bill Strong right)

You can hear bass-barihunk Bradley Smoak and tenor Alec Carlson in a duo recital on WFMT-FM/Chicago on November 2nd at 8 PM CST.  The singers will perform works by Franz Liszt, Charles Ives, and Benjamin Britten as well as a duet inspired by the Marx Brothers’ film At the Circus. The Ryan Opera Center’s music director, Craig Terry, will join them on piano.

Smoak is currently a second-year member of the Ryan Opera Center in Chicago. He made his debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2014 in Strauss' Capriccio. He has two upcoming shows with the company this year. He'll portray Apprentice #1 in a new production of Berg's Wozzeck,directed by David McVicar and conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, which plays from November 1-21. The opera features Tomasz Konieczny in the title role, Angela Denoke as Marie and Stefan Vinke as the Drum Major.

On December 7th, he'll create the role of General Benjamin in the world premiere of Bel Canto, a newly commissioned work by Jimmy Lopez and Nilo Cruz. It features fellow barihunk Jacques Imbrailo as Messner, Danielle de Niese as Roxane Coss, J’nai Bridges as Carmen, Jeongcheol Cha as Hosokawa, William Burden as Ruben Iglesias, Anthony Roth Costanzo as Cesar, Takaoki Onishi as Father Arguedas and Andrw Stenson as Gen.

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

Nathan Gunn in Pearl Fishers

Here is your chance to enjoy three minutes of a shirtless Nathan Gunn and a nice shot of him from the rear. This video shows why he has remained one of our three most popular barihunks since the site was started.

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The Only Onegin as Hot as Hvorostovsky

[Top photo of Onegin at Lyric Opera of Chicago by Dan Rest; bottom photo from Paris Opera from French TV]

I don't know about you, but whenever I see a production of Eugene Onegin with a baritone as hot as Mariusz Kwiecien or Dmitri Hvorostovsky I can't understand at the end why Tatiana doesn't take him back. Take a look at those photos of Mariusz "Hot Pole" Kwiecien and tell me that you wouldn't run out of the palace with him!

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Gunn in Michigan

Thanks to "Mike in Michigan" for sending along this photo of Nathan Gunn from the Michigan Opera in 2004. Mike thinks that Nathan has put on some weight for the Chicago Lyric performance, but "he's still hot."

I'm more interesting in figuring out why the Michigan Opera Theater decided to dress Top Gunn in Salome's seven veils and not the diaper that the supernumeraries had to wear.

Separated at Birth?

Here's something new to Barihunks: Separated at birth?

Check out Nathan Gunn from Chicago's "Pearl Fishers" and Russell Crowe from "Gladiator." The resemblance is striking.

Who would you prefer rushing to your rescue?

More Top Gunn from Chicago's "Pearl Fishers"

[Bottom photo with tenor Eric Cutler]

Shirtless "Top Gunn" in Chicago

I'm not sure if I'd recognize Nathan Gunn with his shirt on and that's the way it should be. At 38, he stills looks great singing Zurga opposite Nicole Cabell and Eric Cutler (who is looking pretty good these days). Wikipedia has this to say about our favorite Top Gunn:

While he is justly famous for his vocal prowess and acting, Nathan Gunn has received almost more fame for his physique, a peculiar feat for an opera singer.

It looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of Nathan Gunn in all of his cuteness, as his next three roles are in the Magic Flute (and he is the world's most adorable Papageno), Rape of Lucretia and the world premiere of Andre Previn's "A Brief Encounter" based on a Noel Coward play.

Let's just hope that he sings in briefs!