David Daniels and Danielle de Niese co-star as Caesar and Cleopatra in Lyric Opera of Chicago's Julius Caesar. Photo by Mike Hoban.___________
Three days before jetting off to London on Sept. 8 to record a Bach recital disc on the Virgin label, openly gay American countertenor David Daniels is taking care of a few last-minute details near his new home in Atlanta.
There are a few final music sessions to go through with Daniels' vocal coach in Greenville, S.C. Then there's another important session at the local Mystic Tan.
That is, until a call on Daniels' cell phone from the Windy City Times interrupts his bronzing.
'Is that today?' chuckles Daniels about the interview. 'I'm the one who never remembers anything.'
Daniels' memory slip can be forgiven, especially as he wins you over on the phone with his down-to-earth charm and openness. Though he sings in the alto range, Daniels has become known for his bearish good looks and the oft-commented-on masculinity he brings to the stage—smashing the notion that a gay man can't convincingly play a romantic lead on stage.
As one of the world's most famous operatic countertenors, Daniels returns to the Lyric Opera of Chicago this November to star in the title role of Handel's 1724 opera Julius Caesar. It's his fourth appearance at the Lyric following previous triumphs in 2003 with Handel's Partenope, in 2006 with Orfeo ed Euridice and a featured spot in the company's 50th-anniversary gala.
The advance buzz on Caesar is phenomenal. The Lyric is presenting the critically acclaimed and sold-out 2005 Glyndebourne Festival Opera production helmed by gay Scottish director David McVicar, who moved the action up to the age of the Imperial British Empire.
The original production was such a smash that Opus Arte rushed to preserve it on DVD a year in advance of its scheduled 2006 revival taping, particularly to capture the knockout singing and dancing performance of soprano Danielle de Niese as Cleopatra.
'The first time that I heard that Cleopatra dances all of her arias [ in this Caesar ] , I thought 'Oh what is that? It sounds stupid,'' Daniels said before he co-starred alongside de Niese for the 2006 Glyndebourne revival. 'But then I saw and I witnessed it and I worked in it and I can't imagine it any other way.'
'We've gotten along quite well and we have a very good stage chemistry as well,' said de Niese, offering up nothing but praise for Daniels during a telephone interview from Amsterdam. Though she was a bit apprehensive about kissing a man in the 2006 Caesar revival ( mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly played Caesar in male drag for in the 2005 production ) , de Niese said her good friend Daniels made everything comfortable.
'I'm sure David would like me to talk up his smooching skills because he's really truly a great kisser,' de Niese said. Though de Niese has already appeared in the Windy City for Chicago Opera Theater performances of The Coronation of Poppea and A Midsummer Night's Dream, she's really looking forward to her Lyric debut in the American premiere of this Caesar which has catapulted her to operatic fame in Europe.
'Danielle's my girl. We're good friends and I adore being on stage with her,' Daniels said of his twentysomething colleague. 'It's always great to appear with another artist who really pushes you on stage dramatically. If you don't bring your A-game to the stage, you'll be eclipsed by Danielle, particularly in this production.'
Though Daniels has appeared in numerous Caesar productions ranging from settings in the Baroque era to Bubsy Berkeley Hollywood, he counts McVicar's version as his favorite. 'The Lyric audiences are going to adore this,' Daniels said. 'It's just so entertaining.'
Daniels has gone from triumph to triumph throughout his career. Last spring Daniels won raves for starring in a new Metropolitan Opera production of Orfeo ed Euridice directed by choreographer Mark Morris and costumed by fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi. And later this season, Daniels is set to co-star with tenor Placido Domingo in a Washington National Opera production of Handel's Tamerlano, a prospect that amazes Daniels.
'I didn't think when my career started as a countertenor that I would ever be singing with Placido Domingo, but I am.'
Known for being an avid Braves baseball fan, Daniels' recent move to Atlanta wasn't just prompted to be closer to friends or his mother who lives in South Carolina.
'Unfortunately, my wonderful 20-year relationship with my partner, John, ended—we decided to go in opposite directions,' Daniels said, declining to give his ex's full name. 'Even though we continue to be good friends and we'll always be very good friends, I didn't want to continue living in Washington and I just thought he needed to get on with his life and I need to get on with mine.'
Daniels says he's not looking to date since he needs to see what it's like being officially single. Still, he admits that if a relationship falls into his lap, he might reconsider.
As for being openly gay in the opera world, Daniels points out that he's not alone. Countertenor Brian Asawa came out in The Advocate nearly a decade ago, while soprano Patricia Racette and her mezzo-soprano partner Beth Clayton both came out in 2002 in an issue of Opera News. ( Daniels joked that his coming out in a New Yorker profile was in a more important publication. )
'I decided to be open about it because I thought it was important and I think that it has helped—not me but from the letters I receive, younger gay teenagers in high school who have written me letters saying that it's so wonderful that someone is so open and honest,' Daniels said. 'If I can help in sort of being a good example, then it's worth it.'
David Daniels stars in eight performances of Julius Caesar between Nov. 1 and Dec. 1 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker. Tickets are $31-$187. Call 312-332-2244 or visit www.lyricopera.org for tickets.
