Performer | Producer | Teacher | Creator
jamesrodgers 
James plays the title character in this marvelous tale of obsurd and unlikely circumstances. An extrodinarily talented cast assembles in the Auckland Town Hall to bring Bernstein’s remarkable score to life. The production is co-produced by New Zealand Opera as part of the Auckland Arts Festival. More Info
Tony Ryan praises “near-perfect” Tosca in Christchurch.
“The opening night of New Zealand Opera’s Tosca certainly fulfilled the promise of the company’s advertising hype.”
“The performances of all three principals, supporting roles, chorus and orchestra are superb, and Stuart Maunder’s direction is imaginative and, in the main, sympathetic.”
William Ferrall of the Inquirer and Mirror has given The Sound of Music a stellar review, describing James’ Captain as “an upright and virtuous patriot, without an overdose of stoicism.”
He also writes: “Like many great creative works, ‘The Sound of Music’ proves to be as relevant now as ever. With authoritarian impulses seemingly all around us, few things soothe our worries as much as music.”
James talks to the Regional News with a close-up ahead of New Zealand Opera’s Kátya Kabanová opening in Wellington.
James is delighted to announce that he will return to New Zealand Opera in 2018 to perform the title role in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide.
Sparkling with wit and humour, Candide is part opera, part musical and entirely irreverent, drawing on everything from European operetta to Latin American dance rhythms.
Kátya Kabanová – New Zealand Opera James performs Ványa Kudrjas in Leos Janáček’s powerfully emotional tragedy. Janáček weaves a dreamlike, visceral story of isolation and oppression. Conducted by Director of Music, Wyn Davies, it is directed by Patrick Nolan, whose past New Zealand Opera productions include the unforgettable Eugene Onegin and La bohème. More Info
Sound of Music – Theatre Workshop of Nantucket James plays Captain Von Trapp in one of the most popular musicals of all time, the Tony and Academy Award winning The Sound of Music is Broadway legends Rodgers and Hammerstein’s last collaboration. When Maria leaves the strict convent to become the governess for the Von Trapp … Read more
James Directs one of Britten’s most dramatically successful works, Myfanway Piper’s libretto sets Henry James’ haunting novella with mastery. This ghost story of a Governess and her two young charges creates a chilling atmosphere, all too relevant in our current time. More Info
Carmen – New Zealand Opera James performs Il Remendado Vital and dangerous, Carmen is a woman who will be free at any cost, setting the path to the opera’s gripping conclusion. This production by Lindy Hume – well known here for her brilliantly theatrical productions of Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto and La cenerentola – is … Read more
