Very well sung in English by an accomplished cast, with attractive sets and costumes by Anna Cordingley, Melbourne Opera's "The Barber of Seville" is certainly one of the funniest productions of Rossini's masterpiece that I've seen.
Not afraid to spice up proceedings with topical references and vaudeville-style sight gags, director Hugh Halliday kept the farcical action bubbling along without losing the focus of the storyline or sacrificing the beauty of the delightful Rossini music.
Sally-anne Russell, in glorious voice as the rebellious Rosina, was wilful, rude and very funny, at one stage resorting to Ipod earphones to avoid listening to her guardian, Dr. Bartolo, given a stylish comic performance by Ian Cousins.
Handsome, charismatic and possessing a fine, rich voice, baritone Phillip Calcagno was excellent casting as Figaro, the manipulative barber. The surprise of the night, however, was David Gould, absolutely unrecognizable and uproariously funny as the decrepit old music teacher, Don Basilio, who uses a bicycle chain to secure his walking frame.
Operatunity tenor, Roy Best, revealed a flair for comedy as the object of Rosina's affections, Count Almaviva, but it was Margaret Haggart, as the housekeeper, Berta, who almost stole the show with her brilliant second act aria.
Adding to the pleasure, the Melbourne Opera Orchestra, conducted by Greg Hocking, provided crisp, sensitive accompaniment, full bodied when required, but alert to the necessity for the lyrics to be heard above the orchestrations.
An edited version of this review appears in the June 3 - 9 edition of "City News".
