AVA's suburban "Barber of Seville'

I noticed so many changes between the Academy of Vocal Arts' Barber of Seville that I saw on the Main Line and what I reviewed downtown that I feel impelled to discuss the differences. (To read my original review, click here.)

For one thing, the cast was almost entirely different. Double or triple casting is a normal practice at the Academy of Vocal Arts, to give exposure to a greater number the school's artists. Unfortunately, the alternate performers don't enjoy the attention showered on the opening-night casts. (Only the first casts are photographed by the company.)

Thus the public misses some great opportunities to hear future stars. I personally can recall great AVA second casts that were headed by Angela Meade and Michael Fabiano in Lucia di Lammermoor and Stephen Costello as the Duke in Rigoletto; all three soloists now sing regularly at the Met.

Losing his wig

Specifically, in this month's second-cast Barber of Seville, the AVA alumnus Jason Switzer made a suave and compelling Dr. Bartolo. His professional experience since he graduated in 2006 showed in the subtle details of his characterization. And when his wig accidentally fell off, he coped cleverly, creating a bit of stage business around the retrieval of his head covering.

Baritone Wes Mason made a flamboyant Figaro and tenor John Viscardi a fine Almaviva. Each was as pleasing as, but different from, their confrères whom I reviewed previously.

The most notable cast change involved switching to a mezzo leading lady, Chrystal Williams, in place of the soprano Sydney Mancasola as Rosina. Each one added embellishments, so audiences really heard different music. Naturally, Mancasola chose more high notes and Williams went lower.

The main difference between the two Rosinas, though, was reflected in Williams's warmer and darker vocal sound. Through most of the 20th Century the Rosina part was sung by chirpy high sopranos; now it's cast more often with mezzos, which I prefer.

Larger stages

The staging at the Haverford School and at the Bucks County and Camden County venues contrasts with what we see downtown, where AVA's Helen Corning Warden stage is small and the room seats only 130. In the suburbs we have modern auditoriums seating more than 600. The productions can be seen more clearly from their stadium-style seats with good sight lines, while AVA's Center City's has folding chairs arranged on a flat floor.

The AVA's suburban venues are similar in size to the opera houses in European towns, whereas the Spruce Street mansion resembles the Florentine palace ballrooms where the art form was born. There's an antique charm in that. Clearly it is a distinct experience; you are stepping into another world.

To fit on the tiny stage, sets must be compressed. When the production moves to the other locations the pieces of the set are spread out and look quite different.

More sound, more fun

The spatial difference sometimes affects the musical sound. In the suburban Barber of Seville, when soldiers came into Dr. Bartolo's home in Act II, they took positions on stage right while the members of the household were far away from them at stage left. The antiphonal repartee was more pronounced, and therefore more fun.

A change of venue can affect individual performances, too. Bass Patrick Guetti repeated his role as the conniving Don Basilio, using even broader gestures than he did at the opening. In the Warden Theater downtown, Guetti's extroverted six-foot-six presence was overpowering. In the larger suburban venues, his delineation seemed appropriate. I found myself laughing repeatedly at him, even though I had criticized his earlier portrayal downtown.

Hiding the orchestra

On the other hand, the orchestra gets short shrift in the suburbs, where the musicians are invisible in a pit and their sound is somewhat shielded from the audience. At the Warden Theater downtown, by contrast, the players sit on the surface of the main floor, between the audience and the stage. There you can see the individual musicians in action and hear their sound close up.

Instrumental solo passages and crescendi and decrescendi seem more obvious in the Spruce Street location. This orchestral prominence, I think, more closely resembles what the composers heard inside their heads. (To be sure, some downtown opera goers feel the Warden Theater orchestra is too loud.)

Everything considered, I prefer the downtown performances aurally and the suburban performances visually. That's why I try to see each AVA opera twice. The next time AVA stages an opera (Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin in January), you might consider doing the same.