A MATCH MADE IN HOLLYWOOD
Last year, the Pacific Opera Project (POP) put on a show about a serial killer who also happened to be a barber: Sweeney Todd. This year, they have staged a production about a much different kind of barber. Figaro, the titular Barber of Seville, is a matchmaker who’s trying to set up Count Almaviva with Rosina, a young girl who lives with Dr. Bartolo, one of Figaro’s clients. The comic story involves giving Count Almaviva a fake persona named Lindoro, duping Dr. Bartolo and marrying Rosina.
Gioachino Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1816) is an opera buffa or comic opera. It is not only considered one of the funniest operas ever created, but also one of the most verbose. And the speed with which its characters give voice to their endless lyrics adds to the comedy. The second of POP’s pop-up productions at the Ebell Club of Highland Park (Puccini’s La Bohème was the first), The Barber of Seville is performed in a cabaret-like setting without orchestra. This gives the production the advantage of an even more intimate feel than POP’s usual shows and keeps ticket prices down, while retaining the quality and creativity of singing and staging that the company is known for. The lack of orchestral accompaniment, however, is the primary disadvantage, especially for an opera as beautifully scored as Rossini’s. Yet, Music Director Stephen Karr’s onstage piano accompaniment worked surprisingly well.
As with earlier productions, POP has given The Barber of Seville a decidedly local vibe, relocating the opera’s setting from 17th century Spain to present-day Hollywood. Thus, when Lindoro sends away the young musicians that he has hired to help him serenade Rosina, he presents them with SAG cards in lieu of pay. Pop culture references abound in the supertitle “translations” as well as in the slide show that plays during the overture. Some of the productions comic cultural transpositions include turning Dr. Bartolo (Alex Adams-Leytes) into Rosina’s pervy manager, giving Figaro a slightly gay West Hollywood persona and making music teacher Don Basilio (Phil Meyer) into a coke-snorting Steven Tyler/Mick Jagger-esque rock star.
The cast of The Barber of Seville is populated with POP regulars and newcomers. Making his POP debut is perhaps the most experienced member of the cast, baritone Roberto Perlas Gomez as Figaro. He plays his part with ease and panache, though his voice was overpowering at times for the small performance space. Where he really shines is the opening aria, “Largo al factotum della citta.” Tenor Clark Sturdevant also makes his debut, displaying an impressive versatility as Count Almaviva. He braves gold go-go boots, brightly-patterned tights and a striped mini-dress and yet still manages to sing some lovely duets. Mezzo-soprano Lauren Edwards easily holds her own as the sassy and saucy love object, Rosina, nimbly disporting herself through some of the role’s tricky coloratura.
Although audiences have to wait until the final act to hear her sing solo, soprano Rachel Payne has one of the standout voices in the cast. She plays the minor role of Berta, Dr. Bartolo’s assistant, yet her voice has a brightness and sparkle that help usher the opera to its happily-ever-after finale. Baritone Adams-Leytes similarly puts in a fantastic performance, one that dominates the middle section of the show. (Whereas Rossini’s opera was written in two acts, POP opts for three.) He masterfully alters his voice for comic effect, sometimes giving it a more nasally or weaselly quality, and deftly delivers his more verbose and mouth-filling lines without sacrificing diction or volume.
POP’s pop-up production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville delivers the quality, comedy, approachability and affordability that audiences have come to expect from LA’s most exciting new opera company. While artistic director Josh Shaw might go a little over the top on occasion, at least in terms of comic good taste, his creative vision never ceases to amaze. Stay tuned for the next instalment in Pierre Beaumarchais’ trilogy, The Marriage of Figaro. POP will launch their production of Mozart’s beloved opera on April 12 in Pasadena.
photos by Mik Milman
The Barber of Seville
Pacific Opera Project
The Ebell Club of Highland Park, 131 S. Avenue 57
ended on March 17, 2013
The Marriage of Figaro plays April 12-21, 2013
for tickets, visit http://www.pacificoperaproject.com