Stream Lyric Opera of Chicago's THE FACTOTUM on Film for Free Until Early September

 The original film of the world-premiere production of The Factotum, by Grammy award-winning baritone Will Liverman, DJ King Rico, and Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj is now available for free streaming through September 5 on Lyric Opera of Chicago's YouTube channel. The Factotum on Filmfeatures the full stage performance with the original cast, along with behind-the-scenes glimpses of the opera's journey from page to stage and never-before-seen cast and creative team interviews from Chicago filmmaker Raphael Nash and Endangered Peace Productions

The Factotum has left a lasting impact on the art form and the city of Chicago. The film now extends the work's reach to a global audience, spreading the opera's powerful celebrations of Black joy and deep-rooted connections to Chicago far and wide.

The Factotum, loosely inspired by Rossini's The Barber of Seville, is a joyful and original piece all its own. Updating the action to a Black barbershop on Chicago's South Side, the powerhouse team of Liverman and Rico have created an irresistibly upbeat work that celebrates the strength of community. The Factotum blends diverse musical styles with boundless imagination to create a soul opera, moving from gospel and funk to rap, hip-hop, classic barbershop quartet, and R&B. Those styles connect brilliantly with classical singing in a very human comedy that redefines everything that opera can be.

To view the film and for more information on this world premiere production from Lyric Opera of Chicago, visit lyricopera.org/factotumfilm.

Photo credit: Gordon Oliver Jr.