No applause until the finale, please! The music in Giuseppi Verdi’s final opera, “Falstaff,” flows so elegantly, there are no stoppages after the arias. Under the baton of James Conlon, the orchestra performed impeccably in the Los Angeles Opera’s production at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Based on Shakespeare’s play, “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” the opera captures the humor of the original and is immensely enjoyable. Much depends on the portrayal of Falstaff himself, the much loved character from the “Henry” historical dramas. Here the role has been undertaken by Roberto Frontali, a fine baritone, who stresses the vanity and pomposity of the title character. He sometimes forgets about the dignity of the gentleman whose corpulence is the butt of much of the humor. However, who can fault Fontali when he must strut about with his huge stomach and suffer the indignity of being stuffed into a laundry basket?
The story revolves around Falstaff’s determination to seduce two (not one) ladies whose virtue he plans to test. Insulted by the fact that he sent the same love letter to both of them, the women plot to give the offender his come-uppance.
All the members of the cast come through with wonderful performances. The two merry wives of Windsor are sung by Carmen Giannattasio as Alice Ford and Erica Brookhyser as Meg Page. They are abetted in their machinations by Ekaterina Sadovnikova as daughter Nanetta, and her lover, Juan Francisco Gatell as Fenton.
Others who make important contributions are Robert Brubaker as Dr. Caius, Rodell Rosel as Bardolph, Valentin Anikin as Pistol and Marco Caria, impressive as Ford. Special attention must be paid to Ronnita Nicole Miller as Mistress Quickly. When she addresses Falstaff as “Your Reverence,” the sarcasm is wonderful. She has become a regular with the local opera company, deservedly so.
Although the sets were not spectacular, they served the action well. A scrim was descended to allow changes of scenery. Projecting onto the scrim bits of dialogue taken from the pages of the Bard was clever.
The costumes were true to the period. Adrian Linford was responsible for the scenery and costumes.
Lee Blakeley deserves kudos for directing a cast of dozens, with the music ranging from solos and duets all the way to a nonet. Verdi shines.