ENCORE of The Barber of Seville November 223 2014: Because of events at UNC Wilmington we saw the show a day late. I have to say that the passerole or what ever that walkway around the orchestra pit was made me really nervous for the singers, and I was GLAD to know that I was not watching live and that no one HAD FALLEN OFF into the pit during the show. The singers appeared to like it, though Debbie Voight (I think rightly) expressed some nervousness about it. After her adventures with the machine, no wonder! P.S. LOVED her brown lace, velvet and sparkle dress. Yes, it was unkindly short and the camera caught her in an awkward pose at first, but the color was lovely on her and the sparkle beautiful. Her interview with the donkey was something special. Better than a fake horse!!! Now to the opera. Other than that scary pathway, I loved the set. What a great way to express the subtitle the useless precaution than to have a stage populated by locked doors, with no walls to keep anything out? Nice work. The staging suggested the 18th C. setting nicely without heaviness or overelaboration. I liked it. Isabel Leonard is several inches taller than her Lindoro / Count Almaviva, Lawrence Brownlee. That was certainly awkward at times, and prevented them from developing a lot of easy chemistry. But Brownlee has such a wonderful voice that who would care if he was a little bit the short and chubby guy. He KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK in the last act, and I thoroughly enjoyed him. Leonard does temper her rather unbelievable beauty with a true inner goofball so that she is quite enjoyable as a comedienne. And she sings so gorgeously and without apparent strain. How does that great big voice just float out sometimes almost between clenched teeth!? Christopher Maltman acted the part of Figaro with a lot of verve and gave a fine performance. But I have heard Sirius XM performance with George London and have been in the theater with Sherrill Milnes singing Largo al factotum. Bigger guys, much bigger voices, much more pleasing to ME. . . dont know how others feel about this. The PROS seemed to be inhabiting the character roles. Delightful patter work by all, and expressiveness too. The most surprising and wonderful work of the afternoon was in the mostly mute part of Dr. Bartolos manservant, who played a scarecrow-like narcoleptic with a heart of gold up to the hilt, and gave the audience many a laugh. Perhaps he was a tad bit much of a scene stealer, but I enjoyed him, as did we all in Wilmington, with laughter. The Met Orchestra truly is peerless. They made the overture -- which I must have been hearing for the eleventy dozenth time, fresh and new and breath-holdingly beautiful. Bravo.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 00:44:07 +0000
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