THE BARBER OF SEVILLE – REVIEW OF 2026 COC PRODUCTION

 Reviewed by James Karas           

The Barber of Seville, the Canadian Opera Company’s companion to Rigoletto for its winter season, is an irrepressible opera that combines unforgettable music and melodies with a wonderful and funny love story. You can’t go wrong with seeing it for the first or umpteenth time.

The current production is a revival of the 2015 staging by Joan Font which was last seen here in 2020. The production has its moments and some of its disappointments but it rises to thoroughly enjoyable level in the second half.

There were some issues with the singing at the beginning where tenor Dave Monaco as Count Almaviva and baritone Luke Sutliff as Figaro had difficulty reaching the demands of their roles. Their vocal cords settled down during the second half. Bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni did fine work as the singing teacher Basilio especially in his delivery of his famous aria “La Calumnia.”

Baritone Renato Girolami sang an excellent Dr. Bartolo and managed to be sonorous and humorous throughout the performance. Mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny made a fetching and marvelous Rosina both vocally and theatrically. We fall in love with her right from the start when she sings “Una voce poco fa” (a voice echoed in her heart) and then tells us  that she is docile and simply announces that she is gentle, respectful, obedient, sweet and loving if she gets her way. She turns into a viper if she does not and swears that she will get her lover Lindoro. Period. Johnny sings sweetly, convincingly, beautifully and displays the verve and determination that we want to see in Rosina. A superb performance. 

Deepa Johnny and Renato Girolami. Photo: Michael Cooper

Rossini gives a somewhat unrelated aria, “Il vecchiotto cerca miglie” (The old man seeks a wife) to the maid Berta (Ariana Maubach) who sings it gorgeously and deserves kudos.

Director Joan Font and Set and Costume Designer Joan Guillen want to give their conception of the opera. Fair enough. But you must give us something original and convincing that adds something to our appreciation of the work. The Barber can be done on two sets. First the town square with the exterior of Bartolo’s house and a window where see Rosina. The second scene is the interior of Bartolo’s house with the details and variations that the director and designer can provide.

In this production Dr. Bartolo lives in a glass house and we see the interior window where Rosina stands and the staircase  for exiting the house. The interior  has a stark look about it with a very large piano and a few chairs. There is a large rectangle at the rear that is black or we see a flowering tree of various colors displayed on it. Only half the stage is lit at times and that adds nothing to the production. At times the stage looks like a storage facility.

Scene from The Barber of Seville: Photo: Michael Cooper

In the opening scene Count Almaviva stands on a huge guitar to serenade Rosina and Figaro sings much of “Largo al Factotum” as if his feet were nailed to the stage boards. Let’s just say that the set adds nothing to the production.

There is a woman sitting stage right throughout the performance and I could not figure out what she was doing there.

The costumes were fine representing we assume Seville attire in the 19^th century or whenever.

Font casts eleven actors in the production and they appear now and then in addition to the chorus. I could not figure out what they were doing except to add crowds whether they are necessary or not.     

Font’s and Guillen’s conception and execution added very little to the opera but they did not repress the music, the singing and the humour of Rossini’s genius. Conductor Daniela Candillari made sure of that with her handling of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and Chorus that performed superbly.    
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The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini with libretto by Cesare Sterbini in a revival of a COC coproduction with Houston Grand Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux and Opera Australia opened on February 5 and will be performed eight times until February 21, 2026, on various dates at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario. For details see www.coc.ca

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Torontp

RIGOLETTO – REVIEW OF 2026 CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY PRODUCTION

 Reviewed by James Karas

The Canadian Opera Company has scheduled two operatic gems for its winter season, Rigoletto and The Barber of Seville, and no one can argue with these inveterate crowd pleasers. One may argue that the company should be more adventurous but no one can get tired of its two choices, so be it.

This revival of Christopher Alden’s 2011 production is carried by an excellent cast but it may be best described as quirky or unorthodox or, at times, a bit confusing for someone seeing the opera for the first time.

Before I discuss those attributes, I want to praise the singers and state unequivocally, that they make the production enjoyable and worthwhile seeing even if you have seen the opera umpteen times.

Quinn Kelsey as the court jester Rigoletto. whether he is expressing love for his daughter Gilda or mocking and then begging the courtiers, gives a marvellous and emotionally splendid performance. When he sings with Gilda, he displays a deeply felt affection for her. When he mocks the courtiers, he is disgusting and in his last outburst when he realizes that Sparafucile has killed Gilda instead of the Duke, he delivers an emotional knockout.

Soprano Sarah Dufresne has a lush and gorgeous voice and her Gilda is vocally outstanding and emotionally moving. Yes, you do have to forget or ignore the fact that she is naive. She decides to get killed to save the life of the repulsive Duke because she loves him. Sure. Put all that aside and listen to her singing. Dufresne will be replaced by Andriana Chuchman on February 10, 12 and 14.

 Simona Genga (back), Sarah Dufresne and Ben Bliss in Rigoletto. 

Photo: Michael Cooper

Tenor Ben Bliss sings the amoral, selfish and swaggering Duke. He starts with “Questa o quella” and ends up with the unforgettable  “La dona e mobile” which has a gorgeous melody and offensive lyrics but, once again, just listen to it and ignore the details until after you leave the theatre.   

A few comments about Alden’s idiosyncrasies.

In the opening scene we find Rigoletto seated in a leather chair in a corner of the stage. Alden is a fan of seated characters and rarely allows them to face or sing to each other. We are in what looks like in a Gentlemen’s Club. The members are dressed formally a la 19^th century private club members that may represent such a place in London. Rigoletto, the odious court jester has a hump but otherwise is dressed like the other club members. He goads and insults the Courtiers and one of them Monterone (Gregory Dahl) curses him. The Duke and the courtiers make up a social group that have the morals of alley cats.

As we know, the courtiers abduct Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda from her house. While she sings some beautiful arias and duets with her father in a place that does not look like a residence, we see courtiers milling around. The Duke sneaks in (he bribes Gilda’s maid Giovanni sung by Simona Genga) and we are treated to romantic, really romantic, duet by the Duke and Gilda. What starts as a lecherous cad and ends as a rapist and disgusting person (“La dona e mobile”) becomes a romantic hero for a few minutes. But as soon as he leaves and the courtiers who were milling around disperse, they return with faces covered and abduct Gilda. What were they doing there before?

They take Gilda to the palace and a distraught Rigoletto begs the courtiers to tell him where his daughter is. He sings to us and not to the courtiers who have huddled around Gilda who is lying on a couch and presumably being raped. She should be found in a bedroom but Alden has her on a couch. Is the Duke raping her or the courtiers? We know it should be the Duke thinking she is Rigoletto’s mistress (really?) The scene is confusing. Rigoletto should be begging the courtiers directly but they have their backs to him and he addresses us. Well, take it as it comes.

The final scene takes place in Sparafucile's dingy tavern or den of murder and iniquity. Sparafucile is a hit man for hire and his sister Maddalena (Zoie Reams) is a lowlife for hire. In Alden’s production and Set and Costume Designer Michael Levine, it looks like a swanky hall where the members of the Gentlemen’s Club are having a general meeting. We hear the wonderful quartet and the goings on but what are they doing there? It is an awful night of thunder and lightning and murder, what are the well-dressed men doing there. 

Johannes Debus conducts the Canadian Opera Orchestra and Chorus in a splendid performance.

I find Alden’s quirks mystifying but they are not enough to spoil Verdi’s work and especially the superb cast that gives you a terrific night at the opera
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Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi cis being performed seven times until February 14, 2026 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario. Tel:  416-363-6671. www.coc.ca

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

I PURITANI – REVIEW OF 2026 LIVE FROM THE MET IN HD TRANSMISSION

 Reviewed by James Karas

Vincenzo Bellini’s  I Puritani is one of the finest bel canto operas, warts and all, and the Metropolitan Opera transmitted it to theatres around the world on January 10, 2026. Musically and vocally, it is an outstanding production but the “warts” of the libretto are still there. This was the 67^th Metropolitan Opera performance of the work which gives you a good indication of its popularity. 

The last Met production was in 1976 and it was revived several times. The current staging is by Charles Edwards who brings his own ideas. He tinkers with the plot that involves the beautiful Elvira (Lisette Oropesa) who is in love with Lord Arturo during the English Civil War of the 1640’s. She is a Puritan (The Roundheads) and he is a Royalist (The Cavaliers). During the overture, Edwards shows Elvira painting Arturo’s portrait and falling in love with him. It is 1641 and the Civil War has not started yet but it is brewing. Edwards gives us a timeline on the screen to make sense of the libretto.

In the meantime, Puritan Riccardo (Ricardo José Rivera) has fallen in love with Elvira and her father wants her to marry him. Luckily her uncle Giorgio (Christian Van Horn) has convinced him to let her marry Arturo.

Lisette Oropesa as Elvira and Lawrence Brownlee as Arturo 

in Bellini's "I Puritani." Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera

In the meantime, or eight years later, we meet Enrichetta (Eve Gigliotti) flitting on and off the stage. Arturo arrives at the camp of the enemies, for his wedding to Elvira and recognizes Enrichetta as the wife of the beheaded King Charles I. She is a prisoner of the Roundheads and he decides to save her from certain death by disguising her as Elvira and leaving the latter at the altar. 

If you sense noticeable creaking, it is not the floorboards; it is the plot. In any event Elvira goes mad, the Roundheads win, Arturo returns, Elvira regains her sanity and they all live happily evert after. You do not see I Puritani for the plot details but for the gorgeous music, astounding bel canto singing, superb sets and lighting that more than make up for the unsatisfactory libretto by Carlo Pepoli, based on the play Têtes Rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine.

You see the opera to hear the extraordinary voice of soprano Lisette Oropesa. Bellini provides melodies that demand flourishes, long lines , intricate singing that few sopranos can manage. Oropesa masters him. She is stunning throughout and especially in the Mad Scene with a full-range display of emotional depth and vocal splendor.

Tenor Lawrence Brownlee has a light, flexible and terrific tenor voice that can reach the stratosphere but sings with unmatched beauty in his arias and ensemble pieces. His Arturo is heroic, decent, in love and always vocally marvelous as he holds the long phrases, soars where necessary and is simply an aural delight.

Baritone Artur Ruciński was indisposed and baritone Ricardo José Rivera replaced him on a few hours’ notice in the role of the spurned lover Riccardo. He did excellent work and earned the respect, enthusiasm and enthusiastic applause of the audience. Well deserved.

Bass baritone Christian van Horn sang the role of Elivira’s uncle Giorgio. Van Horn exudes authority and compassion and can convince Elvira’s father to let her marry for love. Van Horn is a fine actor and a superb singer, able to handle his solo and ensemble singing with rare sonority and beauty.

Edwards makes Elvira a painter and there are numerous portraits on stage. The one that drew my attention was a huge portrait of King Charles I that Enrichetta dances with and twirls around her head and kisses affectionately. The latter made no sense but making Elvira an artist is a nice touch.

Edwards also designed the sets, featuring paneled risers that could be a legislature or a meeting hall. Tim Mitchell’s lighting design changes scenes and atmosphere brilliantly. Gabrielle Dalton’s costumes feature the classic black dresses, white collars and white hats for the women and similar black and white costumes for the men. There are exceptions for Arturo, Elvira and Enrichetta and, I assume, brilliant red for the victorious Oliver Cromwell who makes a short appearance.

Marco Armiliato conducted the Met Orchestra and Chorus in a superb performance. Bellini composed numerous pieces for the chorus that all added to a memorable production of an opera

Edwards and Armiliato, with the brilliant cast, brought out the best of I Puritani and watching it on a big theatre screen was highly enjoyable.

If you hear any creaking after seeing this production, you should check your floorboards.
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I Puritani by Vincenzo Bellini was transmitted Live in HD from the Metropolitan Opera on January 10, 2026, at the Cineplex VIP Shops at Don Mills, 12 Marie Labatte Road, Toronto Ontario and other theatres across Canada. Encores will be shown on February 28, 2026. For more information: www.cineplex.com/events

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto

THE MAGIC FLUTE - REVIEW OF 2006 MET PRODUCTION STREAMED IN 2025

 Reviewed by James Karas

On December 30. 2006 The Metropolitan Opera filmed  Julie Taymor’s production of The Magic Flute for PBS. That recording was transmitted worldwide Live in HD From the Met. But on December 20, 2025. we were supposed to get the current revival of Julie Taymor’s shortened version of the opera with Paul Aplebu, Michael Samuel and Alexander Kppeczi conducted by Steven White. The Met’s program said so. 

But the one-page program that we got at Cineplex stated that we were about to see The Magic Flute that was transmitted Live on December 20, 2006. Something went wrong but I don’t know what. The broadcast on CBC radio was of the current performance with the cast noted above.

Julie Taynor has her own take of the opera with a version thar lasts only 1 hour and 50 minutes, sung in English and geared toward entertaining children as well as adults.  A highly laudable ambition.

She uses various methods of entertaining children and I don’t know if all were successful. She takes a dark view of the opera and much of the performance is done on a black background. The Three Ladies, Wendy Bryn Harmer, Kate Lindsey and Tamara Mumford are dressed in black, with white puppet heads that are worn on their heads or held in their hands.

The Queen of the Night (Erika Miklosa) has a seriously painted face (like most of the cast) and she has huge banners waved behind her. She is a remarkable figure as is Miklosa a remarkable singer. Tenor Matthew Polenzani as Tamino and soprano Ying Huand are handsome and beautiful and we see their faces clearly. The hero and heroine sing brightly and gorgeously and we root for them. 

 A scene from Mozart's "The Magic Flute." Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera 

of the 2025 production and not the one under review.

Rene Pape is outfitted like a pagoda or some grand structure but he sings a marvelous Sarastro. Monostatos wears lots of colourful makeup, sports a big, hooked nose and is appropriately nasty but Greg Fedderly is very effective as the would-be sexual predator against our Pamina. Nathan Gunn as Papageno, is fleet of foot and superb of voice as the cowardly bird catcher. The stage is full of papier mache birds, flying bears and thunder and lightning to keep everything moving and everyone entertained and we hope that includes the youngsters.

The production is sung in English which does not mean that everything was comprehensible but I think it was appropriate. Youngsters do not need subtitles in their first or one of their first exposures to opera.

Taymor, in addition to directing, also designed the costumes and, with Michael Curry, she designed the puppets. In other words, this is a Julie Taymor production through and through.

The late James Levine conducted the Met Orchestra in the broadcast of the 2006 production which launched the rightly heralded Live in HD transmissions. It was interesting to see it in the 40th year of opera in a local movie theatre but seeing the current revival live would have been even more interesting.
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The 2006 recording of The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder was transmitted from the Metropolitan Opera on December 20, 2025, at the Cineplex VIP, Shops at Don Mills, 12 Marie Labatte Road, Toronto Ontario M3C 0H9 and other theatres. For more information including encores see: www.cineplex.com/events

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Geek Press, Toronto.