Opera Cleveland closes its debut season with Giacomo Puccini's powerhouse Tosca on Oct. 19, with additional performances on Oct. 21 and 27. Performed at the State Theatre in Playhouse Square, the production features soprano Brenda Harris as Floria Tosca, Gordon Hawkins as Baron Scarpia and Alfredo Portilla as Mario Cavaradossi. Maestro Richard Buckley and Director Garnett Bruce lead the cast. The same team brought Cleveland Opera's Turandot much success in 2006.
"Richard Buckley conducts a performance that blends exciting propulsion with fine elasticity," and "Garnett Bruce's staging deftly manages the crowds and interaction of characters," wrote Donald Rosenberg in the Plain Dealer.
The cast includes Kristopher Irmiter as Cesare Angelotti, Peter Strummer as a Sacristan, Timothy Culver as Spoletta, Jonathan Stuckey as Sciarrone and Cyrus McFarlin as a Jailor. James Sale is the lighting designer and Kim Brown is the costume coordinator, and wigs and make up are by Alison Mizerski. The sets were designed by David Gano and are provided by the New Orleans Opera Association.
Tosca grabs the audience's attention from the start with three crashing chords, foreshadowing the impending melodrama, set in Rome 1800. Prima donna Tosca is passionately in love with the painter Cavaradossi. But the nefarious police chief Scarpia lusts after Tosca. The opera's dramatic potency occurs in the tense dynamics between them, as Scarpia deviously engages Tosca in a game for Cavaradossi's life. Puccini's vivid score boldly underlines the action in Tosca, combining to create one of opera's most popular productions.
Performances on Friday and Saturday begin at 8 p.m. with the Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Performances will last approximately two hours, plus two 20-minute intermissions. All ticket-holders are welcome to attend the pre-opera lecture one hour prior to the curtain. Tickets range from $25 to $135. -- www.operacleveland.org
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