UTAH FESTIVAL OPERA, Ellen Eccles Theatre, Logan, through Aug. 12.
LOGAN — It's a great year for the Utah Festival Opera. The operas this season, Puccini's "La Boheme" and Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro," are high-watermark productions for this company, not to mention tried-and-true favorites for newcomers and opera buffs alike.
If you're not sure about opera, this is a great season to give it a try. And if you're an opera lover, it's a great year to relish what you love about opera.
And the musicals in this season's lineup, "The Music Man" and "Man of La Mancha," are also well worth seeing.
The season opened last week with "The Marriage of Figaro." This production boasts a strong cast, both vocally and in terms of acting, and it is a veritable feast for the ears. Kara Shay Thomson, who sang the part of Countess Almaviva, deserves special note for her standout singing, as does Kristopher Irmiter as Figaro.
The costumes and set are beautiful, and for the most part, stage director James Marvel makes the characters realistic and believable. The exception is Don Basilio (Isai Jess Munoz), who is an over-the-top, caricatured prancing poodle of a buffoon who drew laughs from the audience.
The other opera, "La Boheme," is every bit as good as "Figaro." Wendy Bryn Harmer, in the role of Mimi (who, incidentally, is a native of Bountiful), steals the show with her gorgeous vocals. She is paired with Arturo Chacon-Cruz as Rodolfo. It is an interesting match — his voice has a beautiful lyric quality, but not the power of Harmer's. They blend beautifully when singing together, but when showcased in side-by-side arias, she unleashes that voice of hers and sings him out of the hall.
The other leads are also well-cast. Mark Walters, singing the role of Marcello, deserves mention for his vocals, as does (again) Irmiter.
This production has good chemistry and a youthful energy. Scenes where the four friends are together, especially when they are joking around (as at the beginning of Act IV), sparkle, and Karin Paludan makes a spicy, saucy Musetta.
"The Music Man" is also a good production, its strongest asset being Josh Powell in the role of Harold Hill. Believable and charming, he makes a good anchor for the show — even adding an occasional hint of blues to a couple of the songs. The supporting cast is also strong, with nice chemistry between Powell and Lisanne Norman (Marian Paroo). There are, however, occasional vocal blending issues with the barbershop quartet.
Of all the productions this year, it is a musical that is the heaviest — perhaps darkest (yet most idealistic) — of them all: "The Man of La Mancha." With Utah Festival Opera founder and director Michael Ballam as Don Quixote, it has an operatic vocal flavor, with the other leads suitably matched.
Audrey Babcock as Aldonza seemed to be plagued with opening-night jitters. Her first number, "It's All the Same," was vocally inconsistent, and she forgot a few lines in a later song. But her talent is up to the role. She otherwise did a fine job and the lapse was probably a one-time occurrence.
One distraction on opening night was an acoustic guitar that had been amplified during the overture. While it worked for the guitar solo, it didn't blend well with the other, nonamplified instruments. Otherwise, it was a solid production.
Again, Mark Walters (as the Innkeeper/Governor) adds a nice stage presence, and the audience enjoyed seeing Ballam onstage.
Also, a note to parents: While "Man of La Mancha" may be considered artistic and ennobling, be aware that the plot contains adult themes such as prostitution, violence against women and implied torture.
E-mail: rcline@desnews.com