On April 21, 2017, the Hawaii Opera Theatre (HOT) will debut  Jacques Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann.”  Kicking off his twentieth season with the company, HOT’s very own Artistic Director, Henry Akina, will run the production.

Maestro Vincent de Kort will conduct the production and join Akina once again after the duo recently collaborated on HOT’s acclaimed production of “Siren Song” in 2015. “Hoffmann” will showcase tTenor Eric Fennell in the lead role as the hapless lover. Some of Mr. Fennell’s most recent roles include the title role in Verdi’s “Don Carlos” for the Lithuanian National Opera and Il Duca in “Rigoletto” with Theater Bremen.

Alongside Fennell, Wayne Tiggers will play The Villains and Olivia Vote will perform as the Muse/Nicklausse. All the while, Rachele Gillmore will fulfill the role of Olympia, Christine Arand will appear as Antonia, and Eve Gigliotti will play Giulietta, the last of Hoffmann’s three failed affairs.

HOT will present a total of three performances of the opera, including one on Sunday, April 23 at 4 p.m. and the other on Tuesday, April 25 at 7 p.m. It’s a three-act production, with an epilogue, all sung in French with the English subtitles projected above the stage. All three of the performances will be at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.