Review Quotations
San Diego Opera’s ‘Barber’ shines vocally and comedically.
Having seen all of the company’s “Barbers” over the past 30 or so years, not all of them were as entertaining as the one that concluded Sunday...This production shined for three reasons: director Chuck Hudson’s sharp eye for visual humor and detail, the sparkling vocal fireworks of mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche, and principal conductor Yves Abel’s mastery of the score with the San Diego Symphony musicians…director Hudson was able to fill the spartan stage with colorfully costumed supernumeraries who added visual pizzazz and humor to the scenes.
Di qualità, di qualità! San Diego Opera presents a strongly directed and cast revival of Il barbiere di Siviglia. Once in a blue moon, a staple-repertoire performance comes along that knocks your socks off, challenges all your notions of the piece, and, eventually, offers new perspectives. Such was the case with San Diego Opera’s tenth production of Gioachino Rossini’s evergreen The Barber of Seville…
Much of the success of SDO’s The Barber of Seville was attributed to debuting director Chuck Hudson, whose unorthodox direction gave the production a particularly effervescent yet elegant look, unlike the usual slapstick take the opera usually receives. A protégé of Marcel Marceau and renowned for coaching singers to be better actors, Hudson incorporated many of Marceau’s techniques here, and it showed…
The singers were deliberately placed in every scene to create distinct moods and compelling, picture-worthy storylines... SDO was fortunate to have acclaimed singers Patrick Carfizzi and Craig Colclough in this production…it almost felt like an embarrassment of riches. Not only were they both extremely comfortable singing the roles, but they had also worked with Hudson in the past, enabling them to realize Hudson’s direction wonderfully.
This was a truly great achievement for SDO to present such a fun yet thought-provoking show, and the audience left the hall feeling exuberant.
In a recent interview, Director Chuck Hudson said he planned to emphasize the opera’s humor, and among his other accomplishments, he is a graduate of the Marcel Marceau International School of Mimedrama in Paris. The result is a master in the use of facial expressions, movements and comic timing.
Ask any stand-up comic. It’s not easy to make people laugh. Hudson coached his cast so well that the audience laughed at every opportunity the libretto provides while displaying the vocal skills required for Rossini’s bel canto style…Phil Johnson, in the non-speaking role of Bartolo’s elderly servant Ambrogio, clearly benefited from Hudson’s mime coaching as he shuffled comically across the stage with stoic perseverance. This was an impressive and enjoyable production of Rossini’s most popular opera.
If you’re tempted to wait for the next inevitable production of this repertory staple, consider not only the San Diego Opera’s cast -- but the New York-based director making his local premiere: Chuck Hudson. A respected veteran of America’s best regional opera companies with a well-earned reputation for comic opera and developing singers’ acting skills, Hudson was a shrewd choice...What exactly does mime – the ‘art of silence’ -- have to do with the very unquiet ‘Barber of Seville’? Everything, it turns out.
San Diego Opera Delights in Rossini’s ‘The Barber of Seville’. Friday at the San Diego Civic Theatre, San Diego Opera opened a fresh production of Rossini’s genre defining comic opera. A stellar cast of singers; smart, agile stage direction, and the finesse of the San Diego Symphony in the pit delivered a sensational production of Rossini’s biggest hit… Stage Director Chuck Hudson wisely kept most of the encounters among the singers close to the edge of the stage, a practical consideration in the cavernous Civic Theatre, and he kept the dramatic pace lively for this three-hour opera that should seem much shorter to be convincing theater.
The Barber of Seville Focuses on Funny. In his company debut, director Chuck Hudson is creating a comic ensemble piece for all ages...Besides being a prolific director of theatre and opera both comic and dramatic, he's an expert in Commedia dell'Arte movement and one of three Americans to have received a diploma from the Marcel Marceau International School of Mimedrama in Paris.