5 Stars for Figaro!

"THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO"

Presented by Opera Birmingham
With Alabama Symphony, Lester Seigel, conductor
Opera Birmingham Chorus

Friday, Wright Center, Samford University
Repeats Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Five stars out of Five

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Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro," according to a spate of informed opinions, is the composer's most perfect opera. With all due respect to "The Magic Flute," "Don Giovanni" and "Cosi fan tutte," the contention is hard to dispute.

But with its web of plot twists, double entendres, meddling schemes, gender-bending disguises and jabs at aristocracy, together with some of the most gorgeous arias and ensemble numbers penned in the last 225 years, the comic opera needs a perfect cast to match. Opera Birmingham's production, which closes today at Samford University's Wright Center, comes as close to that as any you'll find.

Three hours went by in a flash Friday as these wholly professional singers spewed forth a stream of knee-slapping Italian one-liners (with projected translations) and improbable situations. Spare yet elegant, the sets from New Orleans Opera sat unobtrusively on the Wright stage, always allowing personalities to emerge, characters to intertwine, Daniel Seigel's well-prepared chorus to position comfortably and plots and subplots to unfold clearly. Period costumes were smart and frilly, but not overdone.

Michelle Areyzaga's portrayal of Susanna began coyly, then took on attitude as she sought to expose the skirt-chasing Count. Her rich-hued soprano, strong all evening, was particularly enchanting in the Act 4 "Deh vieni, non tardar." Jason Hardy was commanding in the title role, his full-throated bass demanding attention from the opera's first words ("Cinque ... dieci") to the well-known arias, "Se vuol ballare" and "Non piu andrai" and the Act 4 "Aprite un po'quegli occhi."

Two of the opera's tenderest moments came from the sumptuous voice of soprano Susanna Phillips. As Countess Almaviva, the Alabama native sang grievously about her husband's estrangement in "Porgi, amor." Her rendition of "Dove sono" rested in pure beauty, and garnered the evening's longest applause. Corey McKern's convincing portrayal of the womanizing Count ranged from creepy to piteous, the aria "Vedro mentr'io sospiro" best revealing his character. In a trouser role, mezzo-soprano Chandra Egger McKern was hilarious as the in-love-with-everyone page, Cherubino, although her voice tended to strain in the upper reaches.

As Bartolo and Marcellina, Steven Condy and Josepha Gayer provided the heartiest laughs during the Act 3 revelation that Figaro was their long-lost son. Corey Trahan's nerdy portrayal of the music teacher, Basilio, likewise produced a few guffaws, as did Elias Hendricks, III, as the nasal-voiced judge, Don Curzio. Even the minor roles of Antonio (Randall Mayo) and Barbarina (Carrie Kahl) were standouts.

Lester Seigel kept the Alabama Symphony musicians, and the action, moving at a good clip, compensating for the murky acoustics at the Wright Center as well as can be expected.

John Jones' first attempt at opera stage direction was a success. Straightforward and spacious, it never drew attention to itself, and with the theatrical complexity of "Figaro," that can only work as a positive.

Click here to learn what happened after Friday's performance.