Seattle Opera's Barber of Seville is a Serious Comedic Feat
José Carbó (Figaro), Patrick Carfizzi (Dr. Bartolo), and Sarah Coburn (Rosina). ©Rozarii Lynch photo
Woe to those who decide to "give opera a shot" and pick something like Wagner's epic Das Rheingold for their inaugural foray into the art form. In contrast, Gioachino Rossini's opera buffa, Barber of Seville, is cheery, frank and a fine way to whet your opera palate. It's also very, very funny.
The blink-and-you'll-miss it production, running just through the 29th at McCaw Hall, is the farcical tale of Count Almaviva, who falls for the beautiful Rosina, ward of the conniving Dr. Bartolo (who wants to marry Rosina, too). What's a hapless Count to do? Enter Figaro -- barber, doctor, matchmaker and man-about-town -- who has his nose in every household in Seville and loads of time on his hands. The familiar "Largo al factotum" aria ("Figaro, Figaro, etc.") has settled into the mainstream consciousness (could it have been Tom & Jerry?), and it's a pleasure to watch a baritone (in this case, José Carbó, in his U.S. debut) perform it well. Tenor Lawrence Brownlee, as Count Almaviva, has gotten much attention for his performance of "Cessa di più resistere”, often omitted from the opera due to the aria's difficulty. And, with a twitch of her head and a shimmy of her shoulders, soprano Sarah Coburn absolutely captivates with her Rosina - it's no wonder every man is clamoring for her hand.
Opera singers are actors, too, and the cast of Barber of Seville is adept at bringing Barber of Seville's story absurdities to the stage. The physical comedy is superb, with each unique character adding to the fray unfolding at the house of Doctor Bartolo. The cast is certainly helped along by an extraordinary set (designed by John Stoddart) - a life-sized, rotating dollhouse for the characters to plot, pout, scream, spy and dote in.
And the singing? We found Brownlee's voice to be a bit soft, but he punches in as much oomph as he can, and sure knows his way up and down the scale. And man alive, that Sarah Coburn! What Rosina wants, Rosina gets, and can belt out that high C, to boot. Brava!
Through January 29 // McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St. // Single tickets start at $25 and are available online, by calling 206.389.7676 or 800.426.1619, or by mobile phone at mobile.seattleopera.org
