Puccini's Tosca at Opera Theatre of St. Louis


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Anyone who thinks that there's anything new about the phenomenon of public figures hiding their profane desires under a blanket of bogus piety needs to take a look at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis' production of Puccini's 1900 political melodrama Tosca. The villain of the opera, Baron Scarpia, is a classic example of how morality and respect for order can become a false front for lust, violence, and falsehood. Scarpia also provides us one of the great moments of Italian opera in the final scene of Act I as he plots the seduction and betrayal of Tosca while the crowd celebrates High Mass. It's a spectacular scene, and one of the best examples of dramatic irony you'll ever see.

The story of Tosca is a mix of passion, deceit, and violence typical of the verismo school of opera, with its emphasis on human emotions, both noble and destructive. Here, they're mostly destructive: the title character's overwhelming desire for her lover, the painter Cavaradossi, results in a jealousy that undoes them both; Scarpia's obsessive lust for Tosca motivates him to break every moral code he claims to support, and eventually results in his death at her hands; and Cavaradossi's passion for human freedom leads him to shelter the rebel Angelotti, which results in a firing squad for the former and suicide for the latter. It's not a cheerful story, but in the summer of 1800 Rome wasn't a cheerful place.

Grim and violent as Tosca is, however, it's given a brilliant performance by the Opera Theatre cast, most of whom are making their first appearance with the company. Soprano Pamela South wonderfully captures Tosca's intensity, but lacks the strong sexual presence that would make Scarpia's obsession for her comprehensible. Tenor Donald Braswell II is a vital and convincing Cavaradossi, and he and South generate the expected vocal fireworks in their duet scenes.

Baritone Gerald Dolter is the sadistic Scarpia, whose ominous chords open the opera. Dressed in a costume as black as his character's heart, Dolter is almost a dead ringer for Napoleon - a nice bit of irony, considering that Scarpia is royalist. His performance is a compelling one, capturing the character's phony charm and manic preoccupation with Tosca. Other fine work comes from baritone Grant Youngblood as Angelotti and bass-baritone John Stephens as The Sacristan, who provides the closest thing to comic relief in this otherwise relentless work. Stephen Lord does his usual impressive job of leading the Opera Theatre orchestra.

Technically, the show is flawless as usual, and Derek McLane's "inside of an abandoned warehouse" festival stage isn't any more distracting than usual. This is a fine production of an opera classic, and well worth seeing. Tosca runs through June 22nd in rotating repertory with the other three operas on the main stage of the Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Rd. Call the Opera Theatre box office at 314-961-0644 for ticket information.


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