By KATHERINE CALOS Richmond Times-Dispatch
Wrap up everything an opera should be in a single production, and you could call it “La Bohème.” “I think it’s kind of like the perfect opera for beginners and for veterans of opera,” said Ed Parks, who’s one of four lead singers making their local debut with Virginia Opera’s “La Bohème.” All are reprising roles they’ve performed in other productions around the world.
Parks plays Marcello, for which Opera News praised him in an earlier production as “the most compelling performance of the night,” noting that his “warm, velvety baritone filled the house as he portrayed the frustrations of a passionate man.” He also hit a career high point this year as the top baritone in Placido Domingo’s Operalia Competition.
The role of Marcello is “certainly one of the ones I do the most,” Parks said. “It’s also one of my favorite operas, which is really nice. It’s kind of got everything you want in an opera — comedy and romance and struggle and tragedy.”
The music of La Bohème also earns his affection because of “the marriage of the music and the emotion,” he said. “It’s one of those operas where you can just listen and it kind of explains what is happening emotionally. Not every opera is like that. There are subtitles, so you can read what people are saying, but on a different level the music kind of lends itself to you.”
“La Bohème” tells the story of young bohemians in Paris who live and love as struggling artists. For this production, the story is set in the years leading up to World War II.
Parks, 32, is one of four youthful leads returning to roles that earned them acclaim elsewhere. Soprano Elaine Alvarez performed Mimi at the Chicago Lyric Opera. Tenor Jason Slayden performed Rodolfo in Vancouver. Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez performed Musetta at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Having a young cast “breathes a little more life into it,” Parks said. “These people are supposed to be young anyway. I have a blast with these guys.”
He’s been living in Norfolk for a month with his wife, Julie Zimmer; their 7-month-old daughter, Willow; and their dogs, Ella and Meatball, a bichon and an English bulldog. Zimmer is casting director for extras and dancers in the Super Bowl halftime show.
Next month they’re back in New York at the Metropolitan Opera for his role as the understudy for Schaunard, which he has previously performed there in “La Bohème.”
“It fit my schedule, and the money is good at the Met. It’s nice to be there working on something that I’ve done before,” he said. “It’s not very stressful. I can take that time and work on the stuff I have coming up next.”
Parks grew up in Indiana, Pa., hometown of the late classic film star Jimmy Stewart. “The first musical I was ever in was ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’” one of Stewart’s most famous films.
Parks’ family there is amused by career twists that include recognition by the Barihunks website. His father is a recently retired coal miner. His brothers have a construction business.
“Growing up, you have things that feel normal to you,” Parks said. “This profession definitely doesn’t fit into that box. It’s about readjusting your definition of normal. It’s been good to me. I’ve had success. That’s important. It would be hard to be a struggling opera singer at this point with a kid.”
kcalos@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6433
For tickets and information visit vaopera.org or call 866.673.7282.