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Friday, October 20, 2023

Day 407 Pittsburgh Opera Opens its 85th Season with A (Block Buster) Barber of Seville, Despite Some Unnecessary Modern Additions.

Rossini’s The Barber of Seville is an energized Italian comedic opera. The music will be recognizable  even to opera newbies thanks to Looney Tune's pairing, “Figaro! Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!” with the antics of Bugs Bunny as Elmer Fudd’s Barber. Pittsburgh Opera's The Barber of Seville, despite some unnecessary modern additions, is a block buster that will have you tapping your toes and laughing out loud.


Reflection

The Barber is a jack- of- all trades: barber, doctor, lawyer, matchmaker and in this production, supplier of  “white powder.” The Barber, John Moore, arrived from NYC just two days before opening night to replace someone who became ill. He did not miss a beat with his cartoon like animated facial expressions and baritone staccato opening, “Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!..Tralalalalalalalalà.”

The story is silly. Simply put, it’s about two men who have a crush on Rosina, Count Almaviva and her guardian, Doctor Bartolo. The Barber, for a price, devises a plan to disguise Almaviva as a drunken solder and later a music instructor so that he can have access to Rosina. After a lot of rigmarole, Almaviva and Rosina eventually end up together (ahh), Bartolo is jolted (rats) and everyone is surprised then when the Count reveals his identity (tada).

At the end of the first half, Rosina (Stephanie Doche) is amazing as she rapidly fires her verses. It’s a fun musical mad cap. Unfortunately, Berta the maid (Emily Richter) who is the partier of the gang, partakes in sniffing the white powder, overdoses and is revived with an injection to the heart. (Yes, it’s a flashback to the scene in the movie Pulp Fiction). I was revived in the second half when Emily Richter who is one of the Pittsburgh Resident Artists (see Day 385),  beautifully climbs to heights in her aria.

 

Opera companies sometimes make changes in order to update an opera or attract a younger audience  (see Day 328 where the changes to Don Giovanni enhanced the show). No joint rolling Barber or overdose makes The Barber of Seville more relevant. In fact, it added little to Pittsburgh Opera’s wonderful cast, the comedy and overall production. Why mess with Rossin's masterpiece in this manner.  In my opinion,  if you scrub out the drugs, you get a block buster Pittsburgh Opera production of The Barber of Seville.  

(For tickets to The Barber of Seville and other Pittsburgh Opera shows go to Pittsburgh Opera tickets).

 Other sources

https://www.pittsburghopera.org/season/the-barber-of-seville

https://www.pittsburghopera.org/tickets/

https://www.pittsburghopera.org/resident-artists/