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Conductor
David Parry
Directed by
William Relton
Designed by
Tanya McCallin
Figaro
Leslie John Flanagan
Count Almaviva
Colin Lee
Rosina
Victoria Simmonds
Doctor Bartolo
Andrew Shore
Don Basilio
Jonathan Lemalu
Fiorello
Toby Stafford-Allen
Ambrogio
Peter Kerr
An official
Roger Begley
A Notary
Philip Daggett
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London
Coliseum
English National
Opera
24
October - 28 November 2002 |
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Every last ounce
of comic possibility in this truly funny
opera is realised in this delightful
production. That is in large part the
result of the direction, both Jonathan
Miller's original conception and William
Relton's intelligent revival; but it
also owes a great deal to the excellence
of the acting. Andrew Shore's Doctor
Bartolo is outstanding, and deserves
to go down in the annals as a paradigm
for the role; and Jonathan Lemalu's
performance as Don Basilio is a gem
too, one of those brilliant supporting
endeavours that gives a production extra
dimension.
Needless
to say Leslie John Flanagan as Figaro,
Colin Lee as a highly plausible Almaviva,
and especially Victoria Simmonds (when
this reviewer was in the stalls) as
a beautiful and determined Rosina, are
all wonderful, singing with conviction
and accuracy and acting as if they were
thoroughly enjoying themselves. And
that is the key to the Barber of Seville;
it is a romp, and needs to be played
as one, with tight pacing around the
music, and full rein given to the variety
of character and the cliff-hanging sequence
of events spilling into one another
as Bartolo and Almaviva evolve competing
conspiracies to get Rosina's hand.
An opera
stays firmly in the repertoire when
the music satisfies – and Rossini's
score fits both characters and story
like a glove. Under David Parry's baton
(handed to Alex Ingram from 12 November)
the music satisfies indeed, and in the
best-known stretches – Figaro's
introductory aria, for the prime example
– flows as freshly as on a premiere
night. Leslie John Flanagan's Figaro
has a remarkable facility for pointing
the toe as he sings, a signature that
accompanies his scheming, knowing, cheerful
and mercenary character throughout.
As with the robust acting elsewhere
in the cast, it buoys the music as well
as being inspired by it, and everything
goes with a bang.
The memorable
thing about this fine production is,
however, Andrew Shore's Bartolo. Among
all the good reasons for seeing it,
Shore provides the chief.
AC Grayling |
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