"Nude Hamlet" headed to La Monnaie (and available online and TV)

Franco Pomponi rehearsing Hamlet at La Monnaie

Back in Apil we told you that the "nude Hamlet" from Theater an der Wien was headed to La Monnaie in Brussels. Well, it has arrived and it still has FOUR barihunks in the cast, although you'll have to attend two nights to see all four of them, as Stéphane Degout and Franco Pomponi are alternating the role of Hamlet. Joining them for all the performances are Henk Neven as Horatio and Jérôme Varnier as the spectre. This is Neven's debut at Horatio.

Stéphane Degout as Hamlet in Vienna

Stéphane Degout created quite a stir with his nude scene in Vienna and we expect that the matinee idol-looking Franco Pomponi will cause a few opera glasses to be raised for better viewing.

Hamlet is a five acts grand opera by the French composer Ambroise Thomas, with a libretto by Michel Carré and Jules Barbier. It as based on a French adaptation by Alexandre Dumas, père, and Paul Meurice of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. The work was premiered at the Paris Opéra March 9, 1868. Among the noted singers in the original cast were Jean-Baptiste Faure as Hamlet and Christine Nilsson as Ophelia.

The production at La Monnaie is directed by Olivier Py and is running from December 3-22. Tickets are available online. 

Jérôme Varnier as the spectre and Henk Neven as Horatio

If you can't make it to Brussels, don't be dismayed as La Monnaie broadcasts all of its productions for free on the internet. This production of Hamlet will be available from Tuesday, December 31, 2013  through Monday, January 20, 2014.

It will also be available on television on December 17 at Mezzo TV.

If you love beautiful opera singers, make sure to purchase your 2014 Barihunks Charity Calendar. Remember that all proceeds to go to benefit young artists. Help keep opera alive and thriving and buy yours today by clicking on the Lulu button below.

Movie deals with man's obsession with Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and beautiful men (kind of like us!)

We always thought that no one could possibly like Mozart's Don Giovanni more than those of us involved with Barihunks. After all, the opera has given us more sexy photos than humanly imaginable, with Leporello, Masetto and the Don often cast with stunningly handsome men in various states of undress.

Then along cam the documentary movie “Naked Opera,” which tells the story of Marc Rollinger, an obsessed opera fan who travels around the world to see productions of Don Giovanni. His goal is to find the perfect production of the Mozart classic. His travels take him to Venice, Vienna, and Berlin and the movie features clips from Joseph Losey's classic film starring Ruggero Raimondi, José van Dam, Edda Moser and Kiri Te Kanawa.

Rollinger's travels are a way to escape his mundane existence and he enhances the experience by surrounding himself with gorgeous young men. He lavishes them with great food, expensive champagne and luxury hotel suites.

You'll have a tough time finding a viewing of the movie, as it has seen very limited release. It did manage to win the Heiner-Carow-Award during this years Berlinale. The DVD is available for purchase in Europe, but not in the US. You can order a copy HERE.

If you're like Rollinger and pining for the next great production of Don Giovanni, you may want to head to St. Gallen, Switzerland where a trio of barihunks who have appeared on this site are performing; Palle Knudsen as Don Giovanni, Jordan Shanahan as Masetto and Matt Boehler as Leporello. Performances run through December 30th.