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'Tosca' tantalizes

by Kelly Snyder

For the opening of its 47th season, West Bay Opera tackled Puccini's "Tosca," a popular work frequently in the company's repertory.

And on opening night, it was clear there were two very good reasons for another staging of this warhorse: Julia Kierstine's sizzling Tosca and Scott Bearden's carnal Baron Scarpia. Both performers are superbly suited to their respective roles, in temperament and voice. And though not all the other elements of the production achieved the same level of excellence, their performances made for reason enough to see this latest staging.

Kierstine had a clearly defined, highly individual interpretation of the title role. Less the imperious diva and more the vivacious young lover, she brought a light playfulness to her first scene with Cavaradossi (Kenneth Morris) and only later did her strength and fiery passion come to light.

Kierstine also clearly understands the verismo vocal tradition and has the technique to carry it off with aplomb. Moments such as her response to Scarpia in Act I, "Dio mi perdona. Egli vede ch'io piango! " ("God will forgive me. He sees that I am weeping.") had just the right sense of spacious sweep. And the famous Act II aria, "Vissi d'arte ," was much more than just a vocal set piece for Kierstine. For her, it was a very personal prayer, full of tenderness, passion and even defiance.

Bearden seemed equally suited to Scarpia. His large, focused baritone had no problem carrying over the full chorus and orchestra in the Te Deum that closes Act I and his blunt, sturdy singing suited the character's confidence and carnality. Together with Kierstine, the confrontation scene that ends Act II was the highlight of the evening, with both principals playing off each other beautifully and both absolutely secure vocally.

Morris gave a whole-hearted performance as Tosca's lover, Mario Cavaradossi, but he was not in the same league as either of the two principals. Vocally, his clear, bright tenor sounded a couple sizes too small for the role and the top sounded forced and spread.

This staging of "Tosca" had its own set of challenges, some of which were unsuccessfully met. Case in point: Jean-Francois Revon's sets. Placed on a raked stage for no discernable reason, most of the singers appeared to have insufficient time to get used to walking on the raked platform and were still getting used to it during show time.

The first act, set in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, used large, open archways halfway upstage, forcing the action downstage, but then restricting it with an altar placed downstage center. As the only act in which the full chorus appears, there was little more the stage director could do at the end than let the chorus fill in every which way, including on the painter's scaffold. Acts II and III had their own problems, such as a weirdly proportioned statue disappearing into the fly space.

Director Kenneth Tigar added his own touches, some of which worked, while others did not. For the most part, he kept the staging straightforward and managed to work around the obstacles presented by the set designs. The scenes between principals worked well and he seemed to know how to use the performers to their and the opera's advantage.

Problems occurred when he added individual touches, such as at the end of Act II. According to the stage directions, after killing Scarpia, Tosca places lighted candles in candlesticks on either side of Scarpia's head and a crucifix on his chest. In this production, the candlesticks got in place fine, but Tosca grabbed the crucifix, previously laying unseen and unnoticed on the desk, inverted it, and thrust the lower part of it sideways into Scarpia's mouth. Puccini carefully established Tosca's devout religious nature in the previous act and to see her use a crucifix in such a way was jarring and out of character.

Notwithstanding this faux pas, Tosca's overall effect was one of heightened drama, fiery conflict and colorful performances, just the elements to give the opera immediacy and excitement.

Designer Latifa Medjdoub solidly outfitted the actors. Tosca's costumes were both flattering and striking, while Scarpia's gold-trimmed black gave him the appropriate air of power and menace.

Conductor David Sloss kept matters firmly in hand, occasionally letting the orchestra let loose and overpowering the singing, but for the most part allowing the singers to be clearly heard and understood.

While productions of "Tosca" pop up regularly in the Bay Area, performances of the caliber achieved by Kierstine and Bearden are rare in any opera and ample enough reason to see this West Bay Opera's staging.

What: "Tosca," by Giacomo Puccini, In Italian with supertitles, featuring two casts.

Where: Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto.

When: 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday matinee

Cost: Tickets are $42, with a special $19 youth ticket for those under 18 for Sunday matinee only.

Info: Call (650) 424-9999, Mon.-Fri. from 1-6 p.m., or visit www.wbopera.org. Tickets also may be purchased at the Holt Building, 221 Lambert Ave. in Palo Alto.
Fiery Tosca Ignites Puccini's Perennial Favorite.
Starting with the sets designed by.