Photo Courtesy of Raftermen

The Barber of Seville
Atlanta Opera
through March 13, 2022

Gioacchino Rossini was never your usual kind of composer. He was ready to adapt a score when it hit the boards for a premiere, and after he hit the big time, he took a hike at age 37 and spent the rest of his life hanging out in Paris and Bologna.

Il Barbiere premiered in Rome in 1816 and by 1819 in London as well as in New York. This production has been camped up a bit but hasn’t lost one iota of the craziness upon which it is founded. Michael Shell directed this incredible opus with a stunning cast of weirdos, including a stilt walker (Kristen Bailey), like you would see in Cirque du Soleil.

You will want to keep an eye open for the super-titles as the action gets going, and folks come and go as themselves and sometimes alter egos. But, as the Bard would opine, The Play’s the Thing; and this is a classic Opera Comique featuring Taylor Stayton as Count Almaviva (disguised as a soldier), Stephanie Lauricella as Rosina, Joseph Lattanzi as Figaro, Cadie J. Bryan as Berta, Giovanni Romeo as Doctor Bartolo and David Crawford as Don Basilio.

Everything about this is world class. The running time is a bit long, about 3 hours and 10 minutes. But, your eyes and ears and brains stay happily captive throughout the production.

The opera is performed at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre right near I-75 and 285. Easy to get to, garage parking, and a fine venue in every respect. Know that Covid protocols are observed so bring your CDC cards and a mask is required in the premises. Show closes this coming weekend, so get your seats NOW at AtlantaOpera.org