‘Le Nozze’ Puts Comedy in the Spotlight

The movie “Amadeus” gave us the cackling, manic Mozart, and from the looks of San Diego Opera’s “Le Nozze di Figaro,” which opened Saturday night at San Diego Civic Theatre, stage director Lesley Koenig took the silver screen persona as gospel truth. Her busy, hyperactive staging of the Mozart/Da Ponte/Beaumarchais tale of love, loyalty and libido pumped up the comedy but gave short shrift to the opera’s darker subtext.

During the long exposition of the opening acts, the singers regularly mimed their lyrics--in spite of lucid supertitles--while other on-stage cast members fiddled with nearby props. Every possibility for humor was raised a notch: If you missed Marcellina’s exaggerated, clumsy footwork in the third-act dance ensemble, on the reprise she held her fan between her teeth to underline just how outre she was. At least the ample audience provided a live laugh track.

Fortunately, the cast boasted some fine voices, including German soprano Ute Selbig in her North American operatic debut. Selbig’s Susanna was endearing without a cloying tinge. Possessing a fresh, clear, beautifully focused soprano instrument, she arched every phrase gracefully and confidently negotiated each vocal hurdle. The prima donna of Dresden State Opera was well-partnered with the Figaro of Andrew Wentzel, a bass-baritone whose rich voice projected superbly and who articulated his recitative with stylish brio. On this he should have coached the rest of his American colleagues in the cast. Baritone Rodney Gilfry filled the Count’s boots with handsome aplomb, although it took his voice a while to warm up to its full dynamic range and bloom.

As the Countess, soprano Emily Magee exhibited vocal opulence to spare. Her deft interpretation of the aria “Dove sono” provided the evening’s sole moment of intense pathos. With her radiant upper register and the ease with which she projected long, shimmering lines, it’s no surprise to find her vita replete with Wagnerian roles.

Mezzo-soprano Margaret Lattimore made an unconvincing Cherubino--ungainly but not at all boyish--and she unwisely chose to sing in an Italian dialect with all the consonants removed. Francois Loup as Bartolo was the only singer guilty of understatement, and Judith Christin’s Marcellina brought to mind a more rotund Hermione Gingold.

Conductor Edoardo Muller’s bracing overture promised a sprightly pace, but he allowed the ensembles to sag and lose their rhythmic drive. The pit orchestra proved adequate, but the sparkling, stylish harpsichord accompaniment supplied by Kristin Roach was more than a cut above the ordinary.

Zack Brown’s traditional set and costumes from San Francisco Opera (previously seen in San Diego in 1992) aptly evoked the somber hues of 17th century provincial Spain--perhaps too aptly. Four hours of brown with orange accents is no feast for the eyes.

* “Le Nozze di Figaro,” San Diego Opera, tonight at 7; Friday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m.; May 20, 7 p.m., Civic Theatre, Third Avenue and B Street, San Diego, $31-$86. (619) 236-6510.