Opera Cleveland

Ventured to their production of «The Pearl Fishers» with a date. The actors’ and singers’ work was fantastic, though it was very unfortunately marred by technical issues. We sat in the back seats where the subtitle marquee malfunctioned throughout the entire first quarter. The problem made it difficult to follow what was happening on stage, as well as upsetting several other patrons. I plan on seeing their next production, but if the issue isn’t resolved by then I will not attend another.

Tosca, Tosca, beautiful Tosca!
The Opera’s not had an easy time of it — over the last few years, they’ve really cut back on programming. The company’s last run of Salome was disappointing — musically, great, but the production was uninspired. Salome’s a salacious, sensuous piece of work — the level of daring in this production didn’t quite meet my expectations.
But this season’s opener of Tosca was wonderful — the singers are not only amazing, but have a great sense of theatricality. I thought the set, choreography, and the direction were fabulous. There are definitely a couple of blockbuster moments that left me breathless.
In the end, I connected with the material. For me, that’s the measure of a good performance. Even if you’re not familiar with opera, I’d recommend starting with this one — it’s a well-​produced, accessible piece.