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Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago

The Factotum was conceived by Will Liverman and DJ King Rico as a modernized riff on Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, set in a Black barbershop on Chicago’s South Side.

Lyric Opera of Chicago will present the first of two world premieres in its 2022/23 Season with the opening of The Factotum, February 3 - 12, 2023. The new soul opera's sold-out world premiere at Chicago's Harris Theater runs alongside sold-out performances of Hansel and Gretel at the Lyric Opera House for a spectacular weekend of opera.

The Factotum was conceived by Will Liverman and DJ King Rico as a modernized riff on Rossini's The Barber of Seville, set in a Black barbershop on Chicago's South Side. A joyful and original piece all its own, The Factotum redefines everything that opera can be through a genre-bending score that remixes classical singing with gospel, funk, rap, hip-hop, classic barbershop quartet, and R&B.

Co-book writer, director, and dramaturg Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj and conductor Kedrick Armstrong make their Lyric debuts in bringing this powerful tale of community and Black joy to life. The ensemble cast is led by Liverman, Cecilia Violetta López (also in her Lyric debut), and Norman Garrett.

The Factotum runs for five performances only, through February 12. Audiences are invited to experience a new kind of opera in the city that inspired its creation, and which it celebrates.

Photo credit: Gordon Oliver Jr.

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
The company

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
The company

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Will Liverman

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
The company

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Nissi Shalome, Will Liverman

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
DJ King Rico

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Martin Luther Clark

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Norman Garrett, Cecilia Violetta López

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Will Liverman, Di'Aire Wilson

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
The company

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Ron Dukes, Kris Bellvie, Norman Garrett

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
The company

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
The company

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Cecilia Violetta López, Norman Garrett

Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of THE FACTOTUM at Lyric Opera of Chicago
The company



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