On Saturday, Feb. 1, Carolina Performing Arts will host critically acclaimed opera singer and trans-activist Lucia Lucas, who will perform a show made up entirely of songs from the perspective of villains.
“Lucia Lucas is an artist who has really been making waves on the international opera circuit, but she also has a really incredible personal story,” said Christina Rodriguez, the associate director of marketing and communications for CPA.
The use of songs solely from the villain’s perspective comes in part from Lucas’ personal connection to villains, in that she too struggles with fitting in the opera world due to her identity as a transgender woman, Lucas said.
“The evening isn’t just villains doing villainous things,” Lucas said. “We have villains falling in love, villains showing compassion, villains showing inner struggle, villains showing revenge, villains who weren’t necessarily villains but were turned into villains by other people. Even the Grinch. The Grinch who stole Christmas. Well why did he steal Christmas? You know, there’s a back story.”
Playing the role of the villain is also familiar to Lucas because her voice type as a baritone makes her more likely to sing songs intended for villains.


