Opera Las Vegas charms with ‘The Barber of Seville’

The “Barber” was at the Bayley last weekend and all was well as professional opera returned to Las Vegas in this hilarious production from Opera Las Vegas that was even funnier than the famous Bugs Bunny spoof.

This production of “The Barber of Seville” (“Il Barbiere di Siviglia”) by Gioachino Rossini (sung in Italian with English supertitles) was surprisingly traditional when one remembers Opera Las Vegas’ innovative stagings of “Pagliacci” in 2007 and “Tosca” in 2012, but the simple, yet attractive set design worked well for this beloved comedy because it kept the focus on director Henry Price’s cartoonlike buffoonery.

Opera Las Vegas Artistic Director and conductor Gregory Buchalter, who is also maestro di banda with the Metropolitan Opera, made a dashing figure as he led the Opera Las Vegas orchestra in a vivacious performance of the world’s most famous opera overture. He continued with a confident hand throughout the performance, ably supported by the production’s outstanding musicians and singers.

The light as panna cotta plot of the opera revolves around the attempt by dashing Count Almaviva to whisk away the innocent young Rosina from the clutches of her lecherous guardian Don Bartolo with the assistance of Seville’s resident yenta, the barber Figaro. The story is straight out of Italian commedia dell’arte.

Baritone Daniel Sutin, who sang the leading role of “Wozzeck” at the Met this season made his role debut as the famous Barber in this production. The cheese has fallen on the macaroni of his Figaro and he sang the role with infectious good humor in “Largo al factotum della citta,” (“Make way for the factotum of the city”). His portrayal was role-defining.

Robert McPherson made a dreamily romantic tenor in the role of Count Almaviva. Of course, the more heartfelt he was, the more comical the results. The scene where he accompanies Rosina on the harpsichord for her music lesson had the audience in stitches with laughter.

Mezzo-soprano Renee Tatum, who spent the 2013-14 season with the Metropolitan Opera, made her role debut as this production’s lovely Rosina. She was an appropriately fiery romantic heroine and her comic expressions had the emotional range of a Meryl Streep. She gave the impression that she was controlling the emotions of all the men in the opera.

Peter Strummer stole the show as the lecherous Don Bartolo, who is plotting to marry his pretty young ward Rosina. Described as “one of America’s foremost character bass-baritones,” Strummer was sufficiently sinister to save the character from collapsing into silliness even while engaging in the broadest of comedy.

Strummer was ably assisted in his comic plotting by the rich bass of Metropolitan Opera regular Philip Cokorinos in the role of Don Basilio. Mark Covey made his professional debut with this production as Count Almaviva’s handsome sidekick, Fiorello. Covey accompanied McPherson’s Almavina on Spanish guitar in the romantic “Ecco ridente il cielo,” (“Lo, smiling in the Eastern sky”).

Stephanie Weiss as Berta the maid gave a surprising star turn in Act 2 with “Il vecchiotto cerca moglie” as she wondered about the craziness of love while wishing that she was still young enough for that sort of crazy herself.

One of Opera Las Vegas’ Young Artists in Residence, Eugene Richards, made his professional debut in this production as the Sergeant. The outstanding cast was completed by Las Vegas Little Theatre regular David McKee as Ambrogio, Erickson Franco as the Notary, along with the delightful opera male chorus.

Producing this world-class, fully staged opera was expensive; consider becoming a member of the Opera Las Vegas Guild to continue to support opera in Las Vegas. I look forward to the next rabbit that Opera Las Vegas pulls out of its hat.