Waxie Moon Goes To The Opera in “The Barber of Seville”

Marc Kenison/Waxie Moon as himself and characters in Seattle Opera’s THE BARBER OF SEVILLE. [ Photo by Genevieve Hathaway Productions ]

Waxie Moon, the Boylesque Superstar (Manlesque sounds better) has trod burlesque boards around the globe as well as appeared in plays, films, his own documentary film, and the very gay locally made webseries “Capitol Hill”.

He’s now ready for the very huge stage at McCaw Hall and his role(s) in the upcoming Seattle Opera production of Rossini’s classic THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, onstage from October 14 – 28. This comic opera treasure is of course familiar to even the most unschooled of us due to the Bugs Bunny version.

This production is brand new to Seattle and originated in Australia and was “Inspired by the chaotic and colorful film worlds of Wes Anderson and Pedro Almodóvar” and features overt the top set and costume designs teeming with rich vibrant almost cartoonesque colors. It’s a real visual treat.

AND, it features a cameo, non-singing appearance by “Juilliard-trained burlesque sensation Marc Kenison—known in Seattle and beyond for his glamourous, gender-bending performances as Waxie Moon—as Ambrogio.”

This is what Marc/Waxie has to say about his operatic experience:

“When I was very young, I told my parents I wanted to become a professional dancer. I started with disco lessons. This eventually evolved into jazz, tap, and ballet classes. I thought I was going to be a ballet dancer. But then I was introduced to modern dance in high school, which ignited my desire to be more individualistic, creative, and dramatic. As an adult, I created my gender-blending persona, Waxie Moon during a moment when I was exhausted from producing theatre, and wasn’t having fun performing on stage. On a whim, I enrolled in Burlesque 101 at the Academy of Burlesque here in Seattle; just to try something new. In that class, the character of Waxie was born, and the course of my creative life was irrevocably changed.

Now, I’m going to be in The Barber of Seville as Ambrogio, a very different character from Waxie. But performing in this opera feels like a perfect fit: It’s highly physical and requires a lot of character work. It definitely incorporates all of my movement and theater training. As a dancer, you must be able to work with music in very specific and exact ways, so in that regard, I fit right in during opera rehearsals. Of course, the best part is getting to hear extraordinary singing daily. Last night, I was released from rehearsal two hours early, and I was sad about it. That’s how much fun I am having.”

Seattle Opera’s THE BARBER OF SEVILLE originated from Opera Queensland (Australia). Photo: Stephen Henry