In “The Barber of Seville,” Rossini offered a swift compendium of everything comic opera could be in the early decades of the 19th century. The piece includes romance, lyricism, vocal fireworks, and humor that’s both broad and subtle, all in the space of a fast-paced three hours.

There’s a reason it never fails to charm and delight its audiences, and “Barber” worked its magic again Sunday, Nov. 12, during the second performance of a new production at Opera San José. 

Thanks to the services of a skillful, nimble cast largely made up of the company’s current and former resident artists, a light-footed production by director Stephen Lawless, and the brisk conducting of Music Director Joseph Marcheso, the California Theatre was witness to a cornucopia of musical and comedic delights.

One reason “Barber” is so reliable is that its themes are rooted in tradition, particularly that of the commedia dell’arte. The foolish old man who hopes to marry the young ingenue is a trope dating back to antiquity, as are the young swain who can actually win her love and the quick-witted trickster who helps make it happen.

To this formula, Rossini added music of exuberance and depth. It provides opportunities to the singers to be both expressive and virtuosic, and includes such irresistible set pieces as a gratuitous storm scene and a hilarious sendup of old-fashioned operatic writing from a previous generation.

The San Jose production seizes every opportunity to capitalize on these possibilities. On designer Adrian Linford’s nifty set, interior and exterior walls slide back and forth to comic effect. Thomas C. Hase’s lighting scheme is crisp and resourceful.

Lawless, the British director making his debut with the company, used these elements to underscore both the tenderness and fizzy gaiety of the opera. Bits of physical business were scattered throughout, not only to get laughs, which they reliably did, but to humanize the characters. 

In a particularly inventive touch, Lawless used the storm interlude — which comes after Rosina, the female lead, gets information that makes her believe that her lover has betrayed her — as the occasion for a quick fever dream full of anxiety and dismay.

As Rosina, mezzo-soprano Nikola Adele Printz, who uses they/them pronouns, gave the latest in a growing series of dynamic, musically imaginative performances on Bay Area stages. Their command of coloratura in the first showpiece aria, “Una voce poco fa,” was both firm and flexible, down to the unwritten adornments they threw in. Theatrically, Printz was a model of imperious naivete, just as the character demands.

Printz was well matched by tenor Joshua Sanders as Count Almaviva, who woos Rosina in disguise. He deployed his bright, clarion sound with compelling ease and showed a gift for comic timing that would stand any tenor in good stead. 

As Figaro, the titular barber, baritone Ricardo José Rivera came on like a whirlwind — strong-toned and charismatic — and kept up a delightful stream of energy throughout the proceedings.

Perhaps the most remarkable presence onstage, though, was the ageless bass-baritone Dale Travis in one of his signature roles, the vain and laughable Dr. Bartolo. I heard Travis play this part at Opera San José an astonishing 30 years ago (I checked) and here he was still at it, his vocal powers undimmed by time and his comic sensibilities as finely honed as ever. He’s the Paul Rudd of the operatic world.

Reach Joshua Kosman: jkosman@sfchronicle.com