David Kiley – Encore Michigan
Michael Paschke – Detroit
Spectacular performance!! Must see!
Beth Ann – Royal Oak
Spectacular. The voices and orchestra were terrific as always, the sets were clever and charming but the acting and choreography were off the hook. I don’t know that I have ever laughed so hard or been so thoroughly delighted by a performance. There are 3 performances left—don’t miss this one!
Frederic McCoy – Pleasant Ridge
A great production in every way, and one of the most entertaining MOT has ever done.
Donna Gross – Birmingham
I took my 18 yr old son to his first Opera. We both loved it!!! What a jovial, entertaining production!!!!
Martha – East Lansing
The Voices! (Figaro!) (Rosina!)
The Staging!
The Orchestra!
The Conductor!
The Sets!
.
Perfection!
David Arcangeli – Rochester
We have been long-time opera goers. This was the first time seeing “The Barber of Seville”, and we loved it! Figaro had such presence and a wonderful resounding, melodic voice. The entire cast was excellent! A must-see!
Mya Maola – Clinton Township
I loved this production of The Barber of Seville. I haven’t had that much fun watching an opera since Le Nozze di Figaro and it was wonderful. The comedy was enjoyable, the singing superb and the music of course was perfect.
However, I would have liked for the characters to have slightly more depth than simply being comedic. At some points, I thought it was too silly and wanted the actors to focus more on their characters struggles than getting a laugh from the audience. The set design was nice, though I would have preffered there to be more solid props than painted backgrounds. I al so think the costumes, at least for Rosina, could have been improved; her flowery pink dress at the beginning seemed to make her more of a child than a young woman.
Nonetheless, the cast was wonderful. The mezzo soprano playing Rosina was great; I was impressed with her range in both singing and acting. The tenor playing Almaviva was also excellent, able to be both comedic but also passionate, driven and dignified. Dr. Bartolo played the old curmudgeon well and Don Basilio was a great greedy fop. Of course, Figaro was perfect. He was the centerpiece of the opera and just played up the comedy and how motivated he was to see the story through. I also loved how he played to the audience in his entrance and famous aria.
Overall, I loved The Barber of Seville and I wish I could go back and see it again!
Shirley – Troy
This MOT production is the best Barber of Seville I have seen yet! The entire cast is laugh out loud funny, and the singing is excellent. I particularly loved Figaro and how he entered (come see if you want to know!). Rosina’s voice is supurb. MOT always delivers!
Nicola Rigato – Waterford
Excellent and beautiful!The performers were extensions of their characters! The music was perfect!!
OldFahrer – Rochester Hills
Music was most enjoyable. Figaro was Outstanding.
Preperformance talk was a lot of jabber with little music education – Missed examples of prior performers and performances.Café accommodations dismal. Old venue closed. Extra long lines. Slow service. Intermission ended before I got a drink – no time to enjoy.
MOT can do better with the “Extras”.
Shawn – Rochester Hills
Extraordinary talent. The musical artists were top notch, but I want to give props to the costume designers too. Thinking about the production has put a smile on my face all day today !
Kathleen – Armada
This production featured a lot more physical comedy than previous productions I have seen, and it was just delightful! As well as being stellar vocalists, the cast members were very good actors. It can’t be easy to sing an aria when you are crawling around a harpsichord on your hands and knees! The sets were fun and bright, and the orchestra (as always) was perfection! There were two couples in our party who had never been to an opera before … this was an ideal introduction! Bravo, MOT!
Tim K – Washington
Wonderful performance, moving, captivating, and cleverly funny.
Bill Betz – Clinton Twp.
Great singing, not only by the principles but also by the chorus. The acting was wonderful, especially the barber. I didn’t think all that much of the sets though. Great costumes and music. We had the pre-opera dinner which was good, some of the best poached salmon that I have ever had but as usual the rolls were stale or just not very good at all. Try using the bread that Mario’s restaurant uses, it is the best.
Greg D – Ann Arbor
The production was very well done, a fun night for all. The orchestra was top notch and really brought out the lively, spirited Rossini score. The principals were generally excellent, with Meachem really playing the title role with panache. His strong voice projected well into the far reaches of the house. His comic talents and mannerisms brought Figaro to life. Daniela Mack as Rosina was perhaps not the typical coloratura Soprano, nevertheless she had a strong voice particularly in the lower part of the register and used it well. But if you have ever heard Beverly Sills sing this role, then you have been spoiled. Alek Shrader was more typical of a lyric tenor, good phrasing pleasant sounding voice but lacking a bit of power to really project over the orchestra at times. Basilio and Bartolo were both excellent. The staging was well done, the acting was lively and the comic nature came through. Given that this piece if 200 years old, it shows how human nature, young lovers,, and dirty old men have not changed all that much.
Brandon – Canton
The show was hysterical and the music beautiful! What a great way to spend an evening! Highly recommended!
Jan – Novi
The cast and settings were truly beautiful ; the singing performed by Figaro and Rosini was splendid and filled the theatre!
Dan – Rochester Hills
This Barber of Seville is madcap 19th century humor that holds up well today. It is bubbly, fizzy, effervesant and a lot of fun, making for an upbeat evening that will get you in a great mood before the holidays. I do not know how they do it but MOT consistently puts together a lot of extraordinary talent and this is another great example. If you know someone who has never seen opera before this is a good one to start with.
Operamom – Bloomfield
Pure enjoyment!!
A romp full of spectacular singinging,
Dance moves, sets, costumes all A++
Suzanne Curtis – West Bloomfield
Laugh out loud delightful in every way. Wonderful voices and physical comedy. Truly entertaining. Can’t praise it enough!
Tom – Ann Arbor
A delightful and creative presentation of this timeless comic opera. The dramatic concept was just right – lots of fun visual jokes very much in keeping with Rossini’s music. Count Almaviva’s antics at the keyboard and standing on one leg were worth the price of admission. See and hear this fun production.
Tom S. – Roseville
The BEST version of this opera we have seen to date! The entire cast was wonderful in acting and music, and they interacted with each other very well. The sets and costuming was exemplary. Definitely a Must See.
George & Sue – Tecumseh, Ontario
Great stage, voices, orchestra as well as acting….we truly enjoyed the evening. “Rosina” voice is memorable!!
CorinneO – Bingham Farms
Beautiful production–all of the casting was wonderful. The orchestra sounded fabulous. I would recommend it to anyone.
Jurgen Skoppek – Lansing
When MOT is really “on,” it can produce some of the best opera experiences around, and this ‘”Barber” is one of those experiences. The magical combination of just-right conducting, clever and very funny directing, effective sets, and most importantly, fabulous singing from one of the best overall casts MOT has put on stage in memory, makes even a “war horse” standard repertory opera like “Barber” come alive. This was a truly wonderful night at the opera.
Tereietta – Detroit
As person who grew up watching Bug Bunny cartoons the Barber of Seville is was a MUST SEE. The antics of Fiagro and his pals completely brought me back to the days of Saturday morning cartoons. This is the prefect opera for someone who finds the genre intimidating or not able to relate. Opera’s like the Barber of Seville reminds us how little human behavior has changed and how much fun it can be to laugh out loud.
Armando Lopez – Plymouth
In one word, last night’s performance of The Barber of Seville is: OUTSTANDING. I have never enjoyed an opera so much, rather it’s been quite a long time. The voices, acting and orchestration were all great., simply marvelous, rich and powerful. We are blessed to have the MOT and it’s ability to attract such talented artists to the city. This performance is not to be missed.
Burke Fossee – Pleasant Ridge
This production of The Barber of Seville was thoroughly enjoyable. The voices were uniformly excellent and the orchestra was spot on. Most notable were the excellent comic acting and the perfectly timed high-energy comic directing. Everyone was exuberant and over-the-top, and it worked marvelously. It was a completely enjoyable performance, one of the better ones we have seen in our more than 20 years with MOT.
Mike K – Bloomfield Hills
The best of the best and the most fun production of the Barber I have ever seen. Staging, choreography, voices were superb. Would love to see this production over and over again.
Janice T. – Rochester Hills
The “Barber of Seville” performed at the Michigan Opera Theatre was a fantastic production! The performers were so talented and their voices were beautiful. It was so entertaining! I highly recommend this show.
R and J – Ann Arbor
My wife and I have seen “Barber” three times in the last six years, performed by MOT on 10/17/12, by the Metropolitan Opera (via television) on 1/28 of this year, and again by MOT last night. In spite of some positive aspects, last night was the only time we have been disappointed with the performance.
The positive aspects were that the orchestra and conductor did play the music very well and that the voices of Figaro (Lucas Meachem) and Berta (Michelle Trainor) were powerful and highly entertaining.
However, several negative aspects tarnished the performance for us.
“Barber,” as I understand it, is an opera buffa, that is, one that presents characters from the real world. It is not an opera buffone, that is, one that presents clowns and clownish behavior. The most offensive scene to us was the one in which Count Almaviva poses as a music instructor so he can visit Rosina: his constant “hamming” at the piano actually grated on our nerves. Even worse, it overshadowed Rossini’s bel canto music. In addition, the prancing soldiers, who reminded us of the Monty Python sketch about the Minister of Funny Walks, were intrusive and added nothing to the production.
Several times, added material either stretched our patience or seemed out of place. The very long and frenetic “madness” scene at the end of Act I is a good example of the former, while the large framed picture (on an angle no less), the hanging piece next to it, and the mobiles hanging from this piece are good examples of the latter – we won’t even mention the contemporary dance “moves” at the very end of the opera. (We must add that the “dream” scene, complete with dry ice, was a very creative addition.)
Finally, I know enough Italian to know that the supertitles often gave only a minimalist version of the libretto. A good example is when Rosina says in Italian that she swears she will win (be victorious), the supertitle simply says “I swear it.” Also, one short scene toward the very end of the opera had no supertitles at all to translate the words.
We know that production staff members often want to do something different to leave their individual marks or imprints on an opera. If what they do adds value to the opera, then that is all well and good. However, if what they do detracts from or overwhelms the opera, then that is not all well and good.
R and J
Ann Arbor
Conrad Donakowski – Okemos
Matches any BARBER seen in the great houses of Europe and America. The light, impromptu-style assures that MOT is not a museum, but a living art and entertainment for our time. We look forward to a continued upward trajectory under our new CEO.
Leonard – Dearborn Heights
The Barber was a brilliant production, beautifully sung and acted. It was so much fun.
Harriet S – Detroit
My husband and have seen this opera at least half -a dozen times – here and elsewhere including England – and found this the best perforance of this opera that we have ever seen! It was a delight from opening moments to its crazy ending. We felt that the the music came through with Rossini’s light-heartedness and its clear and excellent melodies and orchestration; the staging was superb; I even found the loud and bright costuming fun! (For example just a moment caught by eye when Rosina in the white dress with a red bow in the back stood against the red couch in the end scene. It didn’t interfere with the music, it added to it since and seemed to fit well and bring an extra dimension to that particular scene.) We both thought the storm scene as a dream (or should I say nightmare) created a new approach to thinking about what was happening and gave new depth to Rosina’s despair when she does not realize that Lindoro and Count Almaviva are the same person. The Count’s ability to move his body and shape it was amazing. We enjoyed the way the Count played on the piano and thought it added to the strength of the music. All the lead singers were excellent – superb is a better word. So, all it all, it was a wonderful evening of music and visual stimulation that will leave us both humming the music and smiling at the images we remember from this excellent and enchanting production of Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”.
We were able to hear the lecture beforehand and appreciate both the comments about Beaumarchais and the Conductor’s discussion of his approach to always seeing it in a new way. and this was a new way – and we loved it. Thank you MOT!
Aida – Plymouth
Great production and quite entertaining. We loved it. It made for a jovial evening. Bravo!
Christa – Washington
The Barber of Seville was a beautiful production! The costumes were bright and playful. The wigs were outstanding. The singers had beautiful voices and were fabulous actors…it was humorous and entertaining …truly a lovely evening.
Katherine – Oak Park
I took my entire family and one of them said “I feel like I’m at the vocal Olympics!” Nothing entertains quite like Rossini vocal acrobatics. I wish I could’ve taken all my friends, too!
We cannot stop talking about how sparkling and perfectly matched Daniela Mack and Alek Shrader are. I enjoyed seeing Rosina as a true rich mezzo instead of a transposed soprano. Obviously Meachem knows he’s a gem – there’s a good reason he is cast again and again as Fiagro. If you want to see Figaro done right, see him.
Christopher Allen with the MOT orchestra…no words. You just have to listen to them and smile. Maestro, please come back soon!!
I thought the comedic timing and acting was great. The scams, the schemes, the ridiculous libretto! In fact I thought the audience needed a warm up skit prior to curtain, because some of the them apparently couldn’t believe they were at a comedy – no laughs and dirty looks at those who were enjoying the show! However the superb acting and direction shone through and got the audience to loosen up and enjoy the show. No park n bark arias here! It’s delightful to see performers who can be silly and maintain the vocal integrity of the roles.
Personally I loved the Monstrous Regiment-esque solider chorus. However I wish their footwork would’ve been more precise. If you’re going to make an artistic choice like that it needs to be executed at 100% not 95%.
The gigantic composer portrait and miniature stage with marionettes was ADORABLE. I thought it was so cute and perfectly Rossini-cheeky.
It feels great to be in a theater that is alive and buzzing. This show was pure comedic glee and I would see it again if I could!
Milton Mutchnick – West Bloomfield
Absolutely, beautifully done. Enjoyed every moment. The performers appeared entirely at ease and enjoying the performance themselves. Seemed so much to resemble Gilbert & Sullivan. G & S didn’t write their first operetta until 50+ years later.
Karen – Troy
Over 50 years I have seen several productions of Barber – this was far and away the BEST!!!!
Don Wedding – Toledo
Absolutely wonderful. If it was shown again, I would attend again. I am a Gilbert & Sullivan fan. I wonder if they did not borrow some of their ideas for Grand opera including this one. Again absolutely wonderful. The cast was all A+++.
Brian Murphy – Rochester Hills
Absolutely wonderful! Could not be bettered!
Diane – Clarkston
Absolutely loved this Opera! We had a wonderful time and it was surprisingly humorous. Definitely recommended.
Dan – Southfield
My wife and I have seen many performances of the Barber of Seville, but this was by far the funniest and most enjoyable. I’d go farther and say that this was the most enjoyable opera I’ve ever attended. The singing was excellent, the orchestral music was wonderful, and the sets were well done, but the acting and direction were off-the-charts superb. I hope MOT will consider doing more comic opera of this quality, perhaps including operas by Donizetti as well as Rossini.
Peter – Detroit
The opera was delightful. The enthusiasm and joy from the performers filled the theatre.
Barbara W – Warren
Frankly I was expecting a warhorse version of this opera. How wrong I was! I’ve seen a couple of productions of Barber as well as the Bartlett Sher-directed Met Live in HD from 2006-2007 (their first season of broadcasting), and I don’t recall seeing a production where everybody was so funny and not mainly Figaro. Almaviva (wonderful physical actor) certainly gave him a run for his money, and IMHO, surpassed him. Everybody was terrific and on the same wavelength–naughty but ultimately nice (gentlemen and ladies alike). Great show! Thank you!!
Alice – Ypsilanti
I’m not sure how Rosina was able to perform while the shenanigans of Figaro and the Count carried on but the opera was great. The voice of Figaro! Wow! The physical comedy in this performance was well timed and well done. I wish I had brought my grandson for his first opera because this would have been the one to see. Bravo
Sandy T – Shelby Twp
It was a fabulous production! The singing and acting were brilliant, the orchestra at its best. Thoroughly enjoyed it!!
efstratios – Farmington Hills
What a grand night at the opera! The performance was truly wonderful. This was by far the best Barber of Seville I’ve seen, everything from the stage, costumes to the orchestra and peformers! Oh, those performers, they looked as thought they were truly enjoing themselves!
Bravo!
Jeannie – Grosse Pointe
Every minute was a delight and each character was so humorous and expertly carried the story along. The music was beautiful but it was the expert acting and singing that just tickled us pink. From Figaro’s blustery vigor to the count’s expert zaniness to the hilarious dancing soldiers, we just loved it all. Bravo!
Andrés – Warren
I enjoy this production very much . Everyone did a fantastic job . I enjoy all of the characters on stage . Rossini’s music is very entertaining by itself . On my personal note , Daniela Mack who played Rossina is great . Congratulations to all of you . Att. MOT , when are we going to see a Verdi ‘s opera again ? Cheers !!
Franziska Schoenfeld, DDS – Birmingham
The opera was hilarious. My granddaughter and son giggled all the way through it. So did I. The voices were superb as well as the acting — quite an accomplishment.
Mary Joyce – Clarkston
Just loved this production! The singing was wonderful and loved how they played up the comedy in “The Barber”.!! What a joy it was to see and hear!!!
