BWW Reviews: Jovial BARBIERE with Isabel Leonard Cuts the Mustard at the Met

Bartlett Sher's production of Rossini's IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA is one of the best of the Gelb years at the Met, with its sliding-doors set by Michael Yeargan and luscious costumes by Catherine Zuber. It was great when it opened with an all-star cast--headed Diana Damrau, Juan Diego Florez and Peter Mattei--and remains sturdy even when some of the casting is a little wobbly.

More wily than spunky?

Rosina, the heroine of Rossini's IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, is usually more wily than spunky, but that didn't stop Isabel Leonard's turn in the Met's Barlett Sher production from being effective and funny. She was delightful in "Una voce poco fa," as she sings about how she is going to escape the clutches of her guardian and in her aria with Figaro, "Dunque io son...tu non m'inganni?" Though she turned darker than most when she thought her beloved had done her wrong, Don't-call-me-a-mezzo Leonard, helped keep this lighter-than-air opera, well, lighter than air.

Quick-fire buffo

The singer was most ably abetted by the Dr. Bartolo--her guardian--of Italian bass-baritone Maurizio Muraro. He kept the quick-fire buffo dialogue tripping easily off his tongue, as he attempted (unsuccessfully) to keep Rosina in her place. His melodious version of "A un dottor della mia sorte" was a delight and his growing exasperation at the hijinks of Almaviva (Lawrence Brownlee), in disguise as a drunken soldier, was a model of this kind of thing.

Variable results

The other principals, alas, had their ups and downs. Brownlee took his time warming up, sounded great with his soaring tenor in the middle of the opera, but then appeared exhausted by his last aria, "Cessa di piu resistere," which also exhausted the audience's good will. English baritone Christopher Maltman held the audience captive with his show-stopping "Largo al factotum," which catalogued his bag of tricks, but his voice got louder and less interesting as the opera went on, even though his acting did a pretty good job of covering it up. Least successful of the principals was bass Paata Burchuladze as the singing teacher Don Basilio, whose voice was pretty much frayed beyond redemption. Even the sure-fire comic aria "La calunnia," which detailed his plans for vilifying Almaviva, refused to take flight.

Soprano Claudia Waite was fine as Berta, the maid, though I have never been able to figure out why the role was created. Yunpeng Wang was charming as Fiorello, Almaviva's manservant. Special kudos go to character actor/dancer Rob Besserer, as Ambrogio, Bartolo's servant, whose character seems to be on his last legs, but never misses a beat or a move.

Conductor Michele Mariotti led a well-shaped performance with the Met Orchestra that showed why the opera remains a crowd pleaser.

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Photo: Lawrence Brownlee as Count Almamiva, Christopher Maltman as Figaro, and Isabel Leonard as Rosina
Photo by Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera