A Review of "The Barber of Seville"

The following appeared in the MRT on April 18th.

"The Barber of Seville"

In the movie "Amadeus," Mozart is asked why he doesn't like Italian opera. He replies that it is "full of stupid fat couples rolling their eyes at each other," and adds the comment, "that's not opera . . . it's rubbish!" With this in mind, and the fact that Italian opera has never been my favorite, it was with a little trepidation that I went to "The Barber of Seville," presented by the Texas Tech University Music Theatre Ensemble at the Lee High School Auditorium last Wednesday.

A little over three hours later I left the auditorium with a greater appreciation for Italian opera, especially when it is performed by young, enthusiastic singers, most of whom can act as well as they sing.

While Sterbini's libretto could never be accused of overtaxing the intellect, he does provide a solid framework for Rossini's resoundingly light, playful music. The story of a pretty, rich young lady who is pursued by various suitors is hardly original -- but the plot-line is largely irrelevant in most operas. It is the rather flimsy hanger on which the substance of the art -- music -- is hung.

As Fiorello, Heath Farr started a little hesitantly with straining toward the top notes. But soon after he relaxed into the role, and his singing improved noticeably. In the opening act it became clear that director Gerald Dolter was determined to make the opera as funny as possible.

The sleepy, drunken, hopelessly inept little band of musicians that accompany the disguised Count in his serenade of Rosina (the pursued lady) were hilarious. The physicality of their comedy is unusual for opera, an artform that does not lend itself to lithe performers. At one point the bassist twirled his instrument as if he had suddenly been transported to a smoky jazz club, and at another he fell with the bass on top of him. All very funny, and all contributing to the entertainment.

In the role of Figaro, the rambunctious and ever-confident Barber of the title, Jared Duncan brought lively character-acting skills and a voice that, while obviously not yet fully developed, should serve him well in the future. At times he had a tendency to act "too well" -- his voice being aimed into the wings because he was interacting with another character realistically. As the scheming Count Almaviva, Dann Coakwell balanced singing and acting a little better. While blessed with natural acting skills and physical presence, Coakwell also lacks the projection that is needed for such a large space.

Playing Rosina, Micah Meixner possesses a fully-fledged voice with projection that seemed to vaguely frighten the Lee students sitting in front of me. When she was readying herself to hit a top note at full volume I must admit I also stiffened a little in my seat. What had been beautiful, lyrical sounds at the bottom of a run often ended in a rather alarming shriek at the top. A dramatic reason for full volume needs to be present, and there was often none. In the second and third acts Meixner moderated this tendency, and the results were much more pleasing.

As Dr. Bartolo -- the elderly man whom Rosina lives with as a ward and who wants to marry her as well -- Brian Kuhnert negotiated the difficulties of playing a two-dimensional person who is much older than himself quite well. His scenes with the reluctant Rosina were very funny, and his relaxing, resonant voice provided a pleasant contrast to some of the harsher tones found elsewhere on the stage.

Daniel Hogan played the music teacher Don Basilio as a kind of elastic, cartoon-like figure with an impressive voice. If his acting did seem a little over-the-top at times, it fitted with the characterization.

Ironically, the most impressive figure on the stage in "The Barber of Seville" was actually an actor playing a character whose only vocalizations are occasional grunts: Ambrosio. Portraying an exhausted servant constantly on the verge of falling asleep, Ryan Bailey exhibited remarkable powers of concentration within his stylized, effective comedic routine.

The highlight of the opera was the second act scene in which all the soldiers who have come to arrest the 'impostor' soldier -- who is in fact that Count in yet another disguise -- are frozen for no apparent reason. The various hilarious and grotesque poses that that leads placed them in were magical. It is something we have all wanted to do in a difficult situation.

The sets were lovely: realistic, functional and yet elegant at the same time. Unfortunately the auditorium was half-full at best. The singers' voices and the atmosphere of the opera often felt swallowed up by the large empty spaces that were present. The rather steep ticket prices for what was, after all, a student production, may have been partially responsible for the sparse audience. Yet for those of us who did see it, "The Barber of Seville" was a pleasant, if determinedly light, evening of entertainment.

For details of future Midland Opera Theater productions, call 352-3398.