Figaro Up, Figaro Down
Tim Blevins trained at Juilliard, enthralling opera fans with his baritone before losing it all to addiction and landing on the streets of San Francisco. But then he pulled off a stunning comeback.
Description
A Juilliard-trained baritone, Tim Blevins performed on the world’s most prestigious opera stages, tackling challenging roles with skill and power. A rare Black presence in a white-dominated art form, he rose to fame—but lost everything to addiction: his career, family, and home, leaving him unhoused in the Tenderloin. After decades in despair, Blevins takes control of his destiny, staging a comeback that restores not only his place on stage but also his role in his family’s life. Filmed with care and grace, this San Francisco-set tale of fame, loss, and redemption illuminates a life as remarkable as the operas he mastered. —Bedatri Choudhury
Biographies
Javid Soriano finds his inspiration in Bay Area stories as evidenced by his short documentary Swan Song (2012), about San Francisco’s oldest watchmaker; his short about opera singer Tim Blevins, Factotum of the City (2013); and now his Blevins-focused feature Figaro Up, Figaro Down.
