THE BARBER OF SEVILLE. Director: Sylvaine Strike. Musical Director: Jan Hugo. Chorus Master: Antoinette Huyssen. Cast: Red Cast, led by Thando Zwane, Brittany Smith and Innocent Masuku. At Theatre on the Bay.
BEVERLEY BROMMERT reviews
Yet again, Sylvaine Strike has wrought her magic on a hoary classic, this time in opera (a first for her) instead of theatre: under her direction, Rossini’s well-known work The Barber of Seville is polished to a diamond-bright lustre that coruscates with energy and joie de vivre.
The mood of playful malice is infectious, inviting the audience to abandon any earnest attempts to unearth Hidden Meaning in the stock characters or wildly implausible plot. This is the exuberant domain of ancient Commedia dell’arte: vivid, merry, and highly entertaining, its technical sophistication belied by fast-paced fun.
This in no way negates the need for high proficiency in vocal and dramatic execution, while impeccable timing – that most desired and elusive factor in staging this comic genre – leaves little to be desired through tight direction in Cape Town Opera‘s current production.
Simple but evocative stage sets, together with meticulously devised, quirky period costuming courtesy of Allegra Bernacchioni, provide all the requisite support for stellar performance, but most striking of all is the inspired idea of adding an extra persona to the cast: Rossini would have been astonished and perhaps more than a little gratified to find himself a driving force incorporated into the action.
Rossini in the house!
Accompaniment is provided by a piano instead of the usual orchestra, and played with panache on stage in full view of the audience by none other than the composer, grappling at times with the limitations of his ability to generate a satisfactory score. Rossini is expressively impersonated by CTO’s musical director Jan Hugo, in early 19th century costume and luxuriant whiskers.
An impish touch is the occasional rebuke delivered to the composer by an aggrieved member of the cast, turning the whole exercise into an organic process as a creator’s imagination visibly strives to deliver a nascent masterpiece.
Bold concept is complemented by polished performance. Opening night saw an apparently relaxed Thando Zwane as the consummate rogue Figaro, asserting his versatility with zesty confidence in the challenging Largo al Factotum aria. His authority is affirmed rather than undermined by an eclectic costume that makes him look like a male version of a bag lady.
A gem of CTO’s 2025 season
On the opposite end of the scale, Brittany Smith’s Rosina is ultra-feminine in voluminous period drapery, a scheming tigress beneath a demure, kittenish exterior; she is entirely at one with this role, delivering aria and duet alike with abandon in what looks like simple enjoyment. Her sweet, breathy pianissimo is particularly pleasing in acoustics which conduce to shrillness, less forgiving to full-lunged delivery.
Celebrity tenor Innocent Masuku as the smitten Almaviva has an arresting stage personality, fluent diction, and a sturdy sense of humour which stands him in good stead for some engaging caricature as he musters more than enough unforced, lyrical resonance to fill the intimate space of this venue.
Among notable cameo roles is that of Monde Masimini for an accomplished portrayal of the shamelessly venal Don Basilio, sung and acted with wit and authority.
A smallish male chorus steals the show as much for clownish antics as for superb vocal performance: full marks to their chorus master Antoinette Huyssen.
This much-loved opera buffa comes to life from the injection of physical theatre to maximise its innate ebullience, making this production of The Barber of Seville a gem of CTO’s 2025 season. Highly recommended.
(There are two casts, Red and Blue, which alternate during the run. Red cast, reviewed above, was on opening night.)
What: The Barber of Seville
Where and when: Theatre on the Bay from 5 to 17 August 2025. Both casts of principals are listed on the Webtickets platform as the Red Cast and the Blue Cast
Tickets: Webtickets
WS
