Review Quotations
Barber of Seville [was] a witty confection: Barber is a warhorse, but director Chuck Hudson gives it a new patina. His emphasis on physical busyness, including an amazing amount of high-spirited acrobatics, is a model true to the extravagant nature of the piece that also enhances the characters…This is one of Minnesota Opera’s most successful productions of many seasons.
Can Opera Be Funny? The interaction of music and carefully placed physical movements creates moments of humor and moves a story forward. In this production, musical jokes are punctuated with lazzi, the commedia version of physical motifs, similar to but more sophisticated than simple slapstick comedy. In his staging, Hudson punctuates the music at every opportunity. References to time are especially noticeable: Lines like Bartolo's "Uno momento! Uno momento! Uno momento!" are matched to his later statement, "Presto! Presto! Presto!" both musically and physically.