Hopera Unleashed at Nexus Cafe

What do you get when you mix hip-hop and opera? It’s called Hopera and it’s happening tonight at Nexus Café. “This is something completely unique and different,” says composer and producer Adrian Dunn, “and I can guarantee that people have never seen anything like it before.” An opera singer by training and proud native Clevelander, Dunn based his original musical — officially known as Hopera: Unleashed — on the traditional opera Othello and events from his childhood. “A lot of it is inspired by the tragedies I experienced in high school,” says Dunn. He compares tonight’s Nexus Café performance to MTV's Unplugged. “It’s important to me that people see from a different angle that there are musicians of color who are doing something positive in the community,” he says. “I wanted this to be something intimate and personal. When audience members can actually see the faces of the singers, it has a different impact than a big show.” Snag advance tickets on the website for $15, or pay $20 at the door. It all goes down tonight at 7 at 627 Prospect Ave.