OPERA REVIEW : Western Theater Brings ‘Lucia’ to Irvine : Touring group offered an undistinctive, as well as undistinguished, production of Donizetti’s work.

Western Opera Theater opened up some traditional cuts in theMad Scene but otherwise offered an undistinctive--as well as undistinguished--production of Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” Wednesday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

Familiar as the touring arm of the San Francisco Opera Center, the company sang James Keller’s workmanlike, if often musically maladroit, English translation (“My death bed, my death bed is waiting for me.”)

Disregarding the stage depth and technical potential of the Irvine theater, stage director Albert Takazauckas relied on lining up his singers on a narrow strip at the front or unimaginatively moving principals into center position as each dominated a scene.

He also made the small chorus manipulate Jay Kotcher’s movable set pieces and stand in the arches as if they were little clockwork figures. But he did not capitalize on this device.

The program booklet included a roster for an orchestra of 31 players, but accompaniment was provided by two pianos, played routinely by Jeffrey Powell and Bryndon Hassman. A spokesman for the opera company said that UCI had booked the two-piano version. A spokeswoman for University Arts and Lectures confirmed the choice but said that the company had sent down the program booklet listing the orchestra, and the university had printed it as it was .

Much of this could have been redeemed by exemplary singing actors. No such luck. The cast proved devoted adherents of the stand-lurch-and-sing school of opera, and rarely addressed the text with dramatic insight.

Deborah Friedman made a statuesque Lucia. (Despite the English translation, the characters called each other by the Italian version of their names). She negotiated many of the coloratura demands with reasonable security, but lost her sense of pitch along with her reason at the start of the Mad Scene.

John Swenson, her Edgardo, sang with hard, lusterless tone and acted with rote involvement.

Hector Vasquez made a brutal, squally Enrico. Steven Condy was a sonorous Raimondo, Nancy Hager a self-effacing Alisa, Robert Breault a lackluster Arturo. As Normanno, Kenneth Wood received Raimondo’s curse that is usually cut at the close of the Mad Scene with stock indifference.

Carol Crawford conducted with lyrical gestures that produced little lyrical music-making.

Walter Mahoney’s plain costumes looked suitable for a severe English court but not for the Scottish Highlands. Ann Archbold provided rudimentary lighting.