From the first quivering notes of the Overture, Opera San Jose's production of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro bubbles with giddiness. From the moment the curtain goes up, the cast’s energetic acting and singing casts an infectious, tickling spell. Figaro (Brian Leerhuber) and Susana (Khori Dastoor) are literally all over each other from opening scene, establishing an atmosphere of frivolous amorousness that rubs off on the rest of the characters. Items of clothing fly everywhere and hands constantly reach under poofy dresses. All of this generates a lot of sexual tension, but remains in good taste—it hardly goes beyond the PG-rating. Even while dodging undergarments, furtive groping, or hiding under furniture, the singing was spectacular.
Dastoor displayed great vocal agility and tonal beauty, made even more enticing by a radiant smile and gorgeous dark hair. She was thoroughly convincing as Susana, and it was easy to see why neither the Count nor Figaro, nor Cherubino could resist her. Leerhuber as Figaro matched with exciting delivery and good vocal presence. Silas Elash gave a startlingly powerful rendition of Bartolo's number, “La Vendetta.” But it was Soprano Rebecca Davis who stole the show as the countess in her performance of “Dove Sono” suddenly conveying heartbreak in the midst of the tomfoolery that surrounds it. Davis’ voice is remarkably smooth and large, the most impressive display of the evening—perhaps even too much for Mozart. She has a bright musical future.
Mozart’s music is notoriously difficult to perfect—a difficulty which is difficult to appreciate because when done well, it sounds effortless. But this apparent ease is only surface-deep. Beyond the classical-era conventional cadences and formal styles lay layers of meaning that take some digging to uncover. Stage Director Peter Kozma would occasionally dim the set and shine a red spotlight to emphasize these hidden gems. The effect is saved from sentimentality by quick interruptions as the drama is sucked back into comedic situations. This juxtaposition is what makes the opera very effective.
Conductor David Rohrbaugh’s huge emphatic beats looked invigorating and are probably the source of the production’s high energy level. They had little to do with the rhythm, however, usually landing quite a bit ahead of the beat. His strokes varied from wide to wider and from heavy to heavier but the orchestra, probably used to this, somehow managed to stay remarkably well together. The chorus and sometimes the solo singers would be well served to listen to the orchestra instead of watching the beat.
None of the rare ensemble problems hindered the exhilaration of amorous escapades set in the south of Spain. The opera a perfect outing for the weeks around Valentine’s Day, where winter finally begins to show signs of easing up. (Yes, we’ve had a long, cold, wet winter here in San Jose~!) And what local venue could be more inviting for a romantic night out than the California Theater? It’s affecting mish-mash of styles that vary from American Southwestern in some of the ceiling patterns to Moorish patterns on the wall, to Neo-classical, Romantic, and Art-Decco decorations as well as some clean modern improvements, all somehow work together in a festive celebration that puts one (or rather, two) in the mood to appreciate some great classical music.
A nice touch at the end during the standing ovation: enormous busts of Mozart and his librettist Da Ponte were wheeled onto the stage!
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