RECOMMENDED

If anyone needed a reminder of how ahead of his time Mozart was in virtually every respect in this 250^th anniversary year if his birth, the first major area staging in more than two decades of the most popular of his operas during his lifetime, “The Abduction from the Seraglio,” should serve as a powerful reminder. Chicago Opera Theater’s welcome production of this masterpiece manages to bring us more true-to-life characterizations of Muslims and Middle Eastern culture than may be found in much of today’s Western movies and media. The only opera in which Mozart named the heroine after his own wife, its remarkable portrayal of love and marriage and what is required for both offer more sage advice than could be had in a dozen Dr. Phil books. The luxurious cast includes soprano Leah Partridge scaling the stratospheric heights of Konstanze with seeming ease and tenor Michael Colvin as her robust-sounding beloved, but no less impressive is rival couple Sarah Coburn and Matthew Garrett. Northwestern senior and recent Metropolitan Opera prizewinner Paul Corona has an obvious bright future ahead of him and makes a commanding Osmin, although his Mozartean technique and lower range are in need of work. Jane Glover conducts with the clarity, balance and energy that distinguish her many topnotch Mozart performances, and though Australian director Justin Way brings out the work’s dramatic nuances and plot twists impressively, the bland and truncated set design more often than not serves as a distraction to his efforts. (Dennis Polkow) Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

“Don Giovanni” may often be considered the greatest Mozart opera (and ergo, the greatest opera), but for comedy, fantasy and intrigue, “The Magic Flute” has to top the list. A product of those much romanticized last months of his short life, it is Mozart at his most witty, his most charming, and at the full height of his soon-to-be-silenced miraculous musical powers. The upcoming 250th anniversary of Mozart’s death will see a number of productions—old and new—of “The Magic Flute,” which decades ago had already become the property of pop culture thanks to Ingmar Bergman’s famous film version and of course, the work’s role in the finale of “Amadeus.” Few, if any, are likely to be as memorable as the late August Everding’s staging that was first seen here nearly two decades ago and has been revived here several times since. The production remains so thoroughly charming and so full of surprises that new things can be seen in it even after a multiple viewings. Far better to revive a solid production of the work with a clear vision of what Mozart had in mind than to offer us a new production with minimal sets and a trendy, cost-cutting concept of the work that completely misses the mark. All of the magic—yes, often literally—is intact, including the dancing animals and magical flowers, making this an ideal opera for families. Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

Following up on its 2002 updating of Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte”—which took place in a singles bar—Chicago Opera Theater now turns its attention to that most perfect of musical comedies, “The Marriage of Figaro.” Conductor Jane Glover and director Diane Paulus are back for their fifth COT collaboration, their best yet. Figaro and his fiancée Susanna now reside in modern-day Miami, a surprisingly effective and clever transposition of the work’s lampooning of 18th-century class relationships. Cell-phone text messaging, pill popping, football fanatics, loud outfits, swaying palm trees and partying the night away stand alongside Mozart’s music quite convincingly, revealing characters that are as sharply drawn and as relevant as ever. Even purists who might be put off by the updates will be so blown away by the first-class singing and the exuberance and immediacy of this stellar young cast that regrets should definitely not be sent. (Dennis Polkow)

“The Marriage of Figaro” plays at the Harris Theater, 205 East Randolph, (312)704-8414 through May 14.