A Kittenish Tosca for a Pleasing Production

Toscas by the dozen have trod the boards, stabbed Scarpia and jumped from the parapet on the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion since the first one, the late Dorothy Kirsten, sang the title role in Puccini’s melodrama for San Francisco Opera here in November 1965.

Catherine Malfitano, the latest Floria Tosca on this stage, appeared Wednesday on the opening night of Los Angeles Opera’s third revival of its 1989 production of “Tosca.”

She performed creditably, sang many beautiful notes--none of them betraying the ill effects of her notorious versatility--and looked more kittenish than divaesque.

She is a fine, not incandescent, heroine, though not everyone’s idea of the imperious, dominating, irresistible Floria. She sings well, with a broad spectrum of colors within a limited dynamic range, and is as pretty as ever. One has to admire the thoroughness of her characterization and her healthy vocalization.

Her two principal colleagues in this revival of the John Gunter/Liz da Costa-designed production complement Malfitano’s dramatic success, though without setting any new standards.

Richard Leech, as Cavaradossi, makes big, bright admirable sounds appropriate with his hefty, burlish good looks. The sound is healthy, Italianate, pleasing, though it falls short at the quiet end of its dynamic range: He handles “O dolci mani,” in the final act, nicely though without melting hearts. But his fortissimo outbursts--in both the torture scene and the finale--grab and hold the listener’s attention.

Tom Fox also does not seduce with his sound; his Scarpia is lean and mean rather than irresistible, and in no place in Act II does he seriously tempt Tosca to like, much less desire, him. He is a serviceable, ultimately forgettable villain.

With detailed action created by the original stage director, Ian Judge, the rest of the cast brings strong believability to the assignments: Louis Lebherz is an Angelotti who both sings and acts in three dimensions; Scarpia’s henchmen, in very good-looking thugware, are Bruce Sledge (Spoletta), Pablo Porras (Sciarrone) and James Creswell (Jailer). Thanks to them, the charades in Act III look credible.

When this very handsome production was new, 12 years ago, some complained about the way it updated the action from 1800 to 1901--the references to Napoleonic battles, for example, were a bit awkward. In subsequent revivals, including this one, the shock of the updating has worn off, helped by the fact that all references to Napoleon have disappeared from the supertitles.

It has also been helped by the fact that in the current version, the pretty Edwardian frocks in Act I have been made to look more timeless than absolutely accurate to the period. The furniture in Act II appears more postmodern than anything else; the modern-looking jail in Act III is for all intents undatable. And the rest of Da Costa’s chic costumes are also free of any specific time frame. It’s easy now to admire the look of the production without being offended by a too-literal rendition of discordant details.

Last, but most important: Richard Buckley’s sweeping and subtle conducting of the accomplished pit orchestra gives composer Puccini his due in every area of the work’s musical and dramatic content. Buckley and his band create a platform from which each of the singers can perform easily and without apprehension or worry. The results are so effortless, they seem natural.

* Los Angeles Opera presents Puccini’s “Tosca” in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. Saturday, Tuesday and June 15, 19, 22, 24 and 27 at 7:30 p.m., and June 17 at 2 p.m. $28-$148. (213) 365-3500.