City of Swansea Opera’s The Barber of Seville proved a good introduction to opera. I loved the music at the start, it was a calm start and I felt I knew it. The stylised cut-out set seemed to be making the best of what they had, there wasn’t a lot to it! I thought there’d be a barber shop! I didn’t get what the people in black brought to it. They seemed to turn up and go! The lighting was good for the mood of what they were performing. It’s the first time I’ve ever noticed the lighting being part of a show.
Some parts were genuinely funny and I think without the funny parts it would have been hard to watch, especially as first time opera goers. I liked Figaro (Hakan Vramso) , he seemed clear and I could understand what he was singing. I thought Bartolo (Brendan Wheatley) and the two lovers (Almaviva sung by William Wallace and Rosina (sung by Annabella Ellis) were good!
It felt drawn out in the first Act and I got lost just before the interval and didn’t get what was going on. Sometimes they repeat lines and I didn’t get why, maybe that’s opera. It was easier with the synopsis and my wife telling me what was happening. There was a varied age group and I’d think this opera would be suitable for anyone.
http://www.swanseacityopera.com/