West Bay Opera Performance Reviews

Small stage can’t diminish the grandeur of Tosca

In an excellent production of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, the West Bay Opera again shows how Grand Opera can be “grand,” even on the small stage of Palo Alto’s Lucie Stern Theatre, an intimate and modest sized venue.

Tosca is Puccini at his best. And, at his best, Puccini is capable of wringing one out emotionally by bouncing from innocence, hope and beauty to evil, treachery and black despair, and then back again.

Friday’s opening night cast was a cornucopia of operatic talent. Julia Kierstine, as Floria Tosca, a celebrated singer in the Rome of 1800, is not only a powerful soprano, whose beauty, power and intonation in her upper register is a wonderment, but also a darn good actress, And, this is an opera in which the dramatic talent is crucial to its success.

Kenneth Morris, as her lover Mario Cavaradossi, a wealthy Roman painter, has a remarkably big voice for a tenor, with a volume usually expected only of baritone and bass performers. That serves this production well by matching it with the power of Tosca in the duets that dominate the first and third acts.

But, it is baritone Scott Bearden, as the unscrupulous and lecherous Baron Scarpia, Rome’s Chief of Police, who towers in this production. As both an actor and singer, he is establishing himself as a major, major operatic talent. His controlled movements and facial expressions dominate the stage in all of his scenes.

The date of the action, June 17th, 1800, was a tumultuous period in the principality of Rome, which was passing back and forth between Church control and a republic, as a result of the military actions of Napoleon Bonaparte of France.

Caught in this maelstrom is Cesare Angelotti, former Consul of the Roman Republic, (bass Daniel Morris) whose escape from the prison in Rome’s Castle Sant’ Angelo, sets in motion the unexpected and tragic events that engulf the two romantic innocents, Tosca and Mario.

The hunt for the fugitive Angelotti, becomes an opportunity for the corrupt and lecherous Baron Scarpia to attempt to satiate his lust for the beautiful Florio Tosca. He forces her to negotiate her piety and body in exchange for saving the life of Mario, who has hidden Angelotti.

The confrontation between her simple reliance upon the power of religiosity and the evils of unbridled secular power, lead to extraordinary vocal “Vissi d’arte,” in which Tosca asks God why her angelic service to art, the church and charitable deeds should be rewarded with such degradation. This was the show-stopper of the evening.

It is important in such a limited venue that the stage director choreograph the movements creatively, as well as school the drama, and Kenneth Tigar did an outstanding job.

Designer Jean-François Revon seems always to fill the limited stage area with some of the most creative, and in this case, beautiful period sets. And, Latifa Medjboub, adds life to the performers with the appropriate period costumes.

As always, music director David Sloss, pulled together an excellent band of instrumentalists to handle the intricate scoring of this Puccini opera.

Tosca is not a long or expansive opera, but it packs a lot of power.

San Mateo Times Reviews

Posted October 19, 2002, by .