Thanks to some fortuitous circumstances, I was the recipient of a complimentary ticket to LA Opera's staging of "The Barber of Seville" last night. It was my first ever opera and turned out to be a splendid way to be introduced to the genre.
The production was impressive in all facets. The physical stage it was on was larger than I expected and was very deep. Different pieces, about 25 feet high, that began as house fronts were wheeled around as the story progressed, becoming interior walls and balconies. The lighting was precise, aptly replicating moonbeams, a setting sunlight through a window, and even lightning. The hall itself was grand, towering upward, with subtle black screens in the periphery for translation.
Musically, it was superb, though as an opera novice I'm hardly in a place to critique. What I did enjoy and thought a lot about is how opera, especially to one who can't understand Italian, showcases the voice more as an instrument rather than a narrative tool. Obviously, they were advancing the plot while singing, but for me it was more like an orchestral suite built around a theme that supposedly told a story. I also wondered (there is a great deal of time to think while at the opera) about whether opera music is the most demanding music to sing--I feel it must be. While nothing about the lines struck me as particularly atonal, it is far less predictable than popular music, any figure can cascade or fall at seemingly anytime. It was not in a random Sun Ra-type way, more that it was almost foreign to my musical sensibilities.
The staging was fairly modern and creative, though some of my companions took issue with how conspicuous the movement of the chorus of actors was, as well as how ostentatious the set and wardrobe became. To me, who had nothing to compare it to and was merely trying to take it all in, I didn't take offense to either but was well aware of the constant tumbling, dancing, and synchronized movement of the background actors and certainly of the explosion of colors that ended the play--pink and red suits abound, rainbow confetti, soldiers with neon gloves, striped kites.
It was at the end of the play that I began to wonder if this staging was inspired by or was drawing comparisons to The Wizard of Oz.* The play begins in black and white and ends in a flurry of color which first reminded me of Dorothy's travels, but when a waving Rosina and Almaviva departed for their honeymoon in a hot air balloon, to a crowd of jovial denizens no less, I began to try and force the two stories to become mirrors of each other. There are no ruby slippers, though Figaro is dressed all in red (I believe the only character to wear red) and it's mostly his plan and matchmaking that gets them together. I doubt the stories themselves have much in common, though I did try to strain the characters in "Barber" to be helpful or overcome via courage, heart, or brains. I was mildly successful though I imagine my connections had all the makings of a C- English lit paper.
* For more on that, see this earlier post.
In conclusion, a very worthwhile night out and one I hope to repeat soon, so long as my wallet doesn't get too much lighter as a result. The first act was longer than I was expecting (over an hour and a half) though the whole production wrapped up in just over three hours, which gave me plenty of time to get home to catch the future Mrs. Ethan Ogilby hosting SNL, though let's just say that she didn't exactly propel herself to the Steve Martin/Alec Baldwin class yet.
Ciao.
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