“The Barber of Seville’s” opening night performance on Saturday night at the Detroit Opera House was sheerly brilliant! Grammy Award-winning tenor Lucas Meachem’s Figaro rivaled even the Oscar-winning Bugs Bunny incarnation of the iconic role. (Bugs didn’t win his Oscar for that role.) A mere masterful flutter of Lucas’ hands sent the fur-bearing audience into stitches, like so many Elmer Fudds and Lola Bunnys.
Keep up the good work, Lucas; and you, too, might end up with a star on Hollywood Boulevard!
Not to be outshone, real-time husband/wife duo Alek Shrader and the effervescent and adorable Daniela Mack played Count Almaviva and Rosina to a perfect tee – a crucial thing to keep the highly astute audience mesmerized and rooting for love’s triumph over the forces of raw power, jealousy, and greed, with probably a little bit of lechery mixed in for good measure….
Andrew Shore’s Dr. Bartolo was the perfect foil. Desperate to marry Rosina, despite her frosty demeanor, he comically continues to control her contacts. To his credit, he does a competent job of it; but inadvertently contributes to the success of the lovers’ cabal.
Michelle Trainor’s Berta could really hit those high notes! Michelle is an amazing soprano!
I would be remiss were I not to mention the passionate performance of the orchestra, led by the supremely gifted conductor Christopher Allen.
The music of Gioachino Rossini comes alive like Peter Frampton playing Pine Knob in his heyday. Every actor and everyone else involved in the production deserves a gold star on their forehead! (Sorry, that’s the substitute teacher in me!)
Last, but not least, Pierre Beaumarchais, who wrote the original French comedy cannot be forgotten! It is fabulous; and we must not forget Pierre! Go see it!
Tickets for “The Barber of Seville” start at $30 and can be purchased online at: https://michiganopera.org/opera/the-barber-of-seville/ or by calling (313) 237-7464. Upcoming performances include: Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 18 at 2:30 p.m.