Opera Comes to the Barbershop in the New Production The Factotum

Danielle Sanders CNW Managing Editor

Created by Grammy-nominated opera singer, Will Liverman, and producer, DJ King Rico, “The Factotum” blends classical singing with diverse musical styles to create a “soul opera,” shifting from gospel and funk to rap and hip-hop to classic barbershop quartet and rhythm and blues.

The opera tells the story of brothers Mike and Garby and their family’s barbershop on the south side of Chicago. The opera is loosely inspired by the opera, “The Barber of Seville.” the brothers co-own the barbershop left to them by their father. With one brother upholding the legacy passed down to them and the other involved in illegal behavior, the conflict begins. Liverman says the story was influential in the music created to tell the story. “I’d bring him an idea for a scene, and we’d record it then listen to it and dissect it. Our director, Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj helped us when we were shaping the story’s narrative and gave us good direction with the storyline. His background as a playwright allowed us to make the story cohesive.”

“The Factotum” is the brainchild of Will Liverman and DJ King Rico. Both are longtime friends who attended high school together. Liverman recently starred in the critically acclaimed “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” and has performed in some of the world’s leading opera houses. Selected as one of eight world finalists DJs in A-Track’s Goldie Awards, DJ King Rico is an acclaimed producer and instrumentalist. “The Factotum” is the first opera composition for both artists. Co-writer and director, Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, helped to create an authentic production based on Chicago’s south side with operatic storytelling.

Liverman says, combining multiple musical styles with classical composition was inspired by both his and DJ Rico’s high school experience. “As high schoolers, we were introduced to opera and we realized that while schools may not teach classical music, we wanted to introduce this art form that we came to love in a new way.” Liverman continued, “We wanted it to speak in the language we live in all the time, the things on our playlists. Taking these styles and genres and finding new ways to make the classical voice work within these musical styles makes it more accessible. People can hear the operatic voice served in a different way allowing us to draw in a younger audience.”

The opera is loosely inspired by the opera, “The Barber of Seville. During the creative process, Liverman says working with classical singing and diverse music styles centered around the story. He says the Black barbershop experience was a story centered on the Black experience and the feeling of community in Black neighborhoods. “Getting a haircut brings people from all over the neighborhood together, preachers, gangsters, teachers, etc. It’s more than a haircut, it’s a gathering place and a safe space where you can be real about what’s going on in life.”

Barbershops are often cornerstones in the community and on any given day, you can count on spirited debates, conversation, homespun wisdom and plenty of laughter. Celebrating black joy is a central theme in “The Factotum” and Liverman says, this aspect of black life is a story often untold but important. “We wanted to share stories of Black Life. We are complete human beings and while stories of pain are important, we have to tell our truths and our stories of our resilience and overcoming. However, sometimes we just want to have a good time, especially now. Black joy is what “The Factotum” is all about and that’s the story we wanted to tell.”

Opera productions like “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” and “The Factotum” redefine what opera could be. Liverman hopes these productions encourage more to attend opera and classical music performances because they are more relatable and allow black audiences to feel included in these spaces. “We wanted this production to be as authentic as possible. Unapologetically Black and it centers on the music and storytelling.” Creating an authentic story with “The Factotum” was assisted with the help of a BIPOC team. Joining cobook writer and director, Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj are Conductor Kedrick Armstrong, set designer Harlan Penn, costume designer Devario Simmons, lighting designer Jiyoun Chang, choreographer Maleek Washington, video designer Roma Flowers and sound designer Mikaela Fraser rounding out the creative team. Liverman says the creative team was a dream come true. “It’s been heartwarming to have these artists and creatives bring their genius and perspectives to the piece.”

The cast includes veterans and newcomers to the Lyric Opera stage. In addition to Liverman, who sings the role of Mike, The Factotum stars Norman Garrett as Garby, Melody Betts as Chantel, and Nissi Shalome as Cece. The Factotum marks the Lyric debuts of Cecilia Violetta López as Rose, Symone Harcum as Sandra, Terrence Chin-Loy as Charlie, Adam Richardson as Leeroy and Di’Aire Wilson as Neil. The cast also includes three current members of Lyric’s Ryan Opera Center Ensemble: Martin Luther Clark as CJ, Lunga Eric Hallam as Bootleg Joe, and Ron Dukes as Sam. Liverman says he and other Black classical artists stand on the shoulders of Black classical greats who contributed to the art form but never received proper credit. He says the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd forced conversations about visibility. Liverman says there is a Renaissance of sorts happening within the genre now and he hopes it continues. “There are so many Black composers writing tremendous works and so many Black minds are coming to the table. Time will tell whether or not organizations will continue to support more of these stories but there are so many Black classical artists who are stepping out of the box and taking matters into their own hands, creating their own platforms.” Liverman is grateful for the support of the Lyric Opera house. “I’m fortunate to be a part of this Renaissance of creativity and for the Lyric Opera house support in telling our own stories and bringing in new audiences.”

DAVID WEATHERSBY loves to tell stories through film. He’s a filmmaker and founder of City Vanguard. His production companies focuses on telling the stories of the underrepresented. He is an award-winning documentarian who won a Black Excellence Award for his Film The Color of Art and the audience award for best feature film at the Black Harvest Film Festival in 2019 for his film, Thee Debauchery Ball. In his latest film, “It’s Different in Chicago,” Weathersby looks at the relationship between house music and hip-hop in Chicago and its impact on Black culture. The film features prominent Chicago artists, influencers, and DJs from both the hip-hop and house communities.

The documentary tells the story of how House music and hip-hop culture complemented and competed with each other leading to deep revelations about the different segments within the Black community of Chicago. Weathersby says telling this story was important because house and hip-hop represented more than artistry and music but communities within the Black community. “It was different in Chicago. There were tribes of communities within both of these genres. In-house music, there was an artsy community and the LGBTQ+ community. In house music it was different. It was cool to be unique and original. From the music to the dance crews to your style of dress originality was celebrated and embraced.” It was the same in hip-hop. Many of those artists didn’t feel like they fit into the mainstream as well. In Chicago, they honored and valued it.”

Weathersby says both genres come from a place of finding their own space just in different ways. Both hip-hop and house music historically come from the inner city where children lacked resources, particularly in arts education. There were no music lessons or money to pay for instruments. Kids were innovative and learned how to create their own sounds with the resources they had. While both of the genres were created around the same time, house music, the genre created in Chicago didn’t achieve the commercial success of hip-hop, a genre created in New York. Weathersby says for some outside of these communities it’s difficult to differentiate between a culture and a fad. “…so, they come into a culture and use it as a fad. That’s what happened when they co-opted disco music. They took a culture and turned it into a fad mixed with a lot of racism. When they were done, they swallowed it up and threw it away.” He says the beauty of both genres is that it breaks stereotypes of what Black culture should be. “There’s such a small market for Black people simply enjoying themselves in outside culture. Within the culture, there’s a huge market for it. My job is to find these stories, tell them and allow the audience to determine what they think.”

Weathersby says the house and hip-hop music scene in Chicago is unlike any other because of the lack of industry that resides here. “In other parts of the county, the shadow of the industry hangs over artists even in the independent music scene. In Chicago, artists are creating this music because they want to not because they think an A&R rep or label executive was nearby.” Local hip-hop artist, Phenom said, “The reason why the industry took so long to see us is because we weren’t trying to be famous, we were trying to be felt.”

Weathersby says in spite of the differences and similarities in the genres, it’s all part of black music, black history, and all a part of the musical history in Chicago. “It’s all about community and it shows how much we have in common without being monolithic. It’s a beautiful and surreal balance.”

Weathersby is currently working on his next film, “Sex in Color” which explores black sexuality and identity. “It’s Different in Chicago” is currently on the festival circuit. Weathersby hopes the film is picked up soon.