Gioachino Rossini best known for "William Tell", seemed only to write plots as
an excuse to compose great music.

The comedic "L'Italiana in Algeri" written in 1808, in this version, becomes a fusion
of "Jerry Springer," "The Real World," and "All My Children."

Its fresh approach is hilarious, quirky, unpredictable, modernized, and eccentric.

Tufts Daily
By David Polk
Senior Staff Writer
November 08, 2004

The plot reads like a fusion of "Jerry Springer," "The Real World," and "All My Children."

But any resemblance to television can be blamed on modern-day copycat writers, because the comedic "L'Italiana in Algeri" is the real thing.

In early 19th century Italy, people went not to their living rooms, but the opera house down the corner for their shoddy gossipy story fix, with the added luxury of full orchestral accompaniment and a timeless musical score.

Any short summary can hardly do this opera justice. A sultan named Mustafà (Eric Owens) gets sick of his whiny wife Elvira (Laura Choi Stuart) and gives her to his Italian slave, Lindoro (Lawrence Brownlee) to marry.

However, Lindoro has eyes for another Italian woman, his sweetheart Isabella (Phyllis Pancella), who by chance gets shipwrecked near Mustafà's palace in Algeri. Mustafà decides to marry Isabella, who really wants to marry Lindoro, but Isabella has an absurd plan at the end to trick the king and make everyone happy...

The story was only Italian composer Gioachino Rossini's excuse to compose great music. And it sounds great, too, when performed by world-class musicians at the Shubert Theatre in downtown Boston.

Indeed, everyone can find something to appreciate in this hilarious, quirky, and eccentric performance by the Boston Lyric Opera.

Above all, this is an opportunity for those with a penchant for all things "O.C." to experience the roots of the gossip-lover's art form. And, since it comes in a classy, elite, and "intellectual" operatic package, no guilty feelings linger afterwards. In fact, you'll come out feeling more cultured and only slightly poorer...

To say this version of Rossini's work is modernized would only be slightly misleading. The Italian characters wear clothing reflecting a 1920s-era Italian yacht chic, while the Algerians wear costumes reflecting Arab stereotypes of the era: big turbans, lots of silky flowing outfits, and funny-looking shoes.

The set, while not as complex or ornate as those found in New York or London opera houses, simply portrays the royal quarters of a powerful sultan with some arched doorways and a painted ocean in the background.

Its fresh approach lies in the unpredictable, funny details. Various props, blocking which verges on absurdity and no-frills translations all cause the audience to buckle in laughter.

The opera opens with a bunch of guys from Mustafà's court hanging out doing absolutely nothing. Forget about any grandiose overture or formal introduction: the guys discover a record player onstage and proceed to play the wrong soundtrack for the opera (played live, of course, by the full orchestra in front). After some amusing trial and error, they find the right song.

Enter the sultan (or "Bey") in some Ray Ban sunglasses and flip-flops, and the opera gets going.

One scene has Mustafà complaining to his servant about his wife as both ride bicycles around and around the stage. Another scene has the Italians who, by the way arrive by miniature cardboard boat, riding around Algeri in a real vintage car.

Throughout the opera, seemingly lovely verses sung in Italian are accompanied by creative translations. "Am I a nincompoop?" and "you're both idiots" probably don't reflect Italian lyrics word-for-word, but they're funny, so who cares?

And no opera is complete without some over exaggerated melodrama. Isabella, upon learning that she's a prisoner in a beautiful Saltanic palace, cries out "Oh cruel fate! Oh tyrannical love!" Try saying that the next time the prof gives a pop quiz.

Musicologists say that "L'Italiana in Algeri," written in 1808, was Rossini's first "mature" opera (his "William Tell" is considered his chef d'oeuvre, and best known). Such talk of "maturity" may surprise, but this refers to the score and not the story.

Rossini's music is at times lyrical and dramatic, patriotic and nostalgic. The lack of overture forces the themes to be less obvious than in other operas, and results in a greater emphasis placed on the story. Appropriately, when the story becomes absurd or verges on sheer lunacy, the music follows - with delightful results.

While individual chorus members seem, at times, slightly out of sync with each other, the soloists exceed all expectations.

Mustafàs deep bass voice is rich and fills the entire hall, Isabella (mezzo-soprano) confidently performs her parts with perfect intonation, and Lindoro captures all attention with his many solos scattered throughout the piece.

Most impressively, the musicians maintain their intensity, even when it involves singing on a moving bicycle or car, running across stage chasing someone or eating spaghetti.

As one opera fan said to her friend after the show: "This is pretty goofy." And a great success.

The Tufts Daily - Opera Review | Lyric Opera's 'L'Italiana in Algeri' amuses and impresses
http://www.tuftsdaily.com/vnews/display.v
/ART/2004/11/08/418ef7a9755fa