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Bohemian baritone
New Zealand Listener
|May 24-30, 2025
Playing destitute artist in Puccini's classic rings true for rising Aussie opera star.
Good old Puccini, he knew how to write for his musicians. Take, for example, La bohème, which NZ Opera brings to the stage for the first time since 2018. Casting a bunch of opera singers as impoverished artists isn't exactly a stretch, is it, especially in this part of the world?
“I think it's typecasting to be honest,” deadpans Australian baritone Samuel Dundas, who takes the role of Marcello. “Yes, he's impoverished, but I get the sense that the bohemians chose that lifestyle. Marcello's whole existence is actually like a hipster who just hasn't found his graphic design job yet.”
Marcello is Dundas's signature role, a character he's played numerous times. Is it possible to bring a fresh direction toa path so well-trodden?
This story is from the May 24-30, 2025 edition of New Zealand Listener.
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