REVIEW: BARBER OF SEVILLE

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Posted: February 8, 2009 - 12:38 am

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By MIKE DUNHAM
Boffo basses: Todd W. Robinson and Won Cho steal the show as Dr. Bartolo and Don Basilio in Anchorage Opera's "Barber of Seville." Photo: Bob Hallinen.
Anchorage Opera's "Barber of Seville" bustles with the animation of a television sitcom. Director Bill Fabris manages to have two or three visual things going on simultaneously most of the time that sidle up to, but don't quite become, slapstick. For instance, the echoing "Feeegaro" calls of the big act-one aria were not sung by baritone James Taylor but by cast members vying for his attention as they act out the text.

Taylor injected lively expressions into his portrayal of the tricky barber, Figaro. So did Kate Egan as the tougher-than-she-looks heroine, Rosina, and - especially - Todd W. Robinson, Rosina's aging guardian, Doctor Bartolo, set on marrying her himself. From the closer seats, these rubber-faced comic flourishes were as clear as watching "I Love Lucy" reruns, but from the steady laughter behind me, I suspect they projected pretty well to the balcony, too.

It's rare for basses to steal the show, vocally. But Robinson and Won Cho - as a perfectly venial Don Basilio, Bartolo's cohort - were by far the strongest male members of the cast, their voices dominating the ensembles. Cho has a particularly dark, melodic yet rafter-ringing bass that is worth the price of admission all by itself. Robinson's falsetto asides were, well, priceless.

Taylor's Figaro, while energetic and solidly on target, seemed somewhat small by comparison. Even quieter was the tenor of Dillon J. McCartney, in the role of Rosina's sweetie, Almaviva. McCartney has clear sound at the very high end of the range, and his nasally tone ("Does he have a cold?" people asked during intermissions) worked well in the music lesson scene. But on Saturday night he lacked the power and agility to keep up with the rest of the cast.

We had to wait until Act II to hear actual bel canto. That's when Egan filled the hall and tore up the set with an "Una voce poco fa" that drew guffaws even as she nailed her scales and top notes and made it all look effortless.

Satisfyingly sung smaller roles included Steve Dixon as Fiorello and Nancy Caudill as the housekeeper.

Amanda Walker's quasi-rococo set grabbed one's attention as soon as one entered the Discovery Theatre, looming two stories tall on the un-curtained stage. Built to be rotated for exterior and interior scenes, it may not have been easy to move quickly. Or so I suspected from the fact that the thunderstorm was cut. The classic "Barber" costumes came from Sarasota Opera.

The orchestra, under the direction of William Hicks, played admirably, if a bit mechanically. The violins maintained good intonation and Cheryl Pierce's horn solos all came off cleanly.

"Barber" will be presented on Wednesday and Friday evenings, with a matinee on Sunday, Feb. 15, in the Discovery Theatre. Running time is 3 hours with two intermissions. Tickets are available at centertix.net.

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