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Opera composer Giuseppe Verdi and playwright William Shakespeare are two of the all-time greats in their fields. Put them together and you have operatic gold. Utah Opera is closing its season with a solid production of "Falstaff," Verdi's third and final take on the Bard.
Baritone Steven Condy sings the daunting title role. Condy may not be the biggest-voiced singer to tackle "Falstaff" on the Utah Opera stage, but his nuanced performance is no less convincing for it. Condy is an excellent comedian who also illuminates Falstaff's humanity with flashes of vulnerability.
The cast revolving around Falstaff is uniformly strong. Standouts include Cynthia Clayton, the epitome of pluck as Alice Ford; Melissa Parks, a formidable Dame Quickly; Sharin Apostolou, a thoroughly charming Nannetta; and Michael Chioldi as Ford, whose duet with Falstaff is one of the evening's greatest moments. Cynthia Hanna as Meg Page, Aaron Blake as Fenton, Albert J. Glueckert as Dr. Caius, and Todd Miller and Branch Fields as Falstaff's not-so-trusty sidekicks Bardolfo and Pistola are also well-cast.
Just as librettist Arrigo Boito's masterful distillation of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (with background from the two "Henry IV" plays) could stand on its own as a play, Verdi's scintillating score would make a compelling evening of music even without any singers onstage. It's a virtual explosion of orchestral wit; there's a musical pun around every corner, and Verdi scarcely gives the audience time to catch its breath, let alone applaud. The Utah Symphony, under conductor Robert Tweten, gave a lively and colorful performance of this rollicking score on Saturday.
The score also offers plenty of physical cues to the alert stage director, and Christopher Mattaliano and his cast don't seem to miss a beat. The madcap shenanigans of the second act are the most obvious example, but witty touches abound throughout the evening. (There's also an amusing allusion to another iconic Shakespeare character at the end.)
This isn't a particularly flashy production, but it features handsome costumes designed by Susan Memmott Allred, who's retiring after 33 seasons as the company's resident costume designer.
In part because of its casting demands, "Falstaff" isn't one of Verdi's more frequently produced operas; it's a once-in-a-decade experience in Utah Opera. Don't miss your chance to see the master of Italian opera at his best.
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Utah Opera presents Verdi's "Falstaff." The opera, accompanied by the Utah Symphony, is sung in Italian, with an English translation projected above the stage.
Where • Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City
When • Reviewed Saturday, May 14; repeats May 16, 18 and 20 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee May 22.
Running time • About three hours, including two intermissions.
Tickets • $15-$85 ($5 more on performance day) at 801-355-ARTS, the Abravanel Hall ticket office or http://www.usuo.org.
Learn more • Utah Opera principal coach Carol Anderson will give free lectures in the opera house one hour before curtain, and Utah Opera artistic director Christopher McBeth will hold a Q&A session immediately after each performance in the mezzanine-level Founders Room.