Tosca by Giacomo Puccini (review)

Latonia Moore as Tosca and Adam Smith as Cavaradossi in Austin Opera’s Tosca. (Photo: Erich Schlegel.)

Political intrigue, a jealous opera diva, murder, double-crossing, and suicide: Puccini’s classic opera Tosca is larger than life. With its dramatic narrative set to Puccini’s beautifully lyric late-Romantic melodies and lush orchestral scoring, it is no wonder that Tosca continues to be a staple of the opera canon. It was only fitting that Austin Opera chose this perennial favorite for their ambitious return to live performance, after halting all productions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The outdoor venue— the Circuit of the Americas, home to America’s Formula 1 racetrack—seemed suitably grandiose for the occasion (while also allowing for social distancing). Austin Opera had initially planned for a traditional staging of the opera, but director David Lefkowich decided that the unusual setting necessitated a more modern restaging. His production recast the story from Rome in 1800 in the shadow of Napoleon’s invasion of Italy, to Italy in 1943, in Mussolini’s fascist grip. The Germania Insurance Amphitheater, situated next to the massive racetrack with an imposing observation tower just behind it, normally hosts rock concerts, but was sitting unused during the pandemic. Employing over 125 local artists and stage crew who were temporarily out of work, Austin Opera’s Tosca was perhaps the highest-profile public performance in Austin since the pandemic. The grandiosity of the chosen opera and unusual venue epitomized perseverance in the face of adversity.

But the number of challenges that Austin Opera faced in mounting the production were more considerable than they could have anticipated. As Lefkowich and general director Annie Burridge recounted in a brief address before the performance, the set was meant to resemble a fascist Danteum building, with giant letters “Viva Il Duce” in the background. The week before opening night, a storm destroyed the entire set. Instead, the salvaged letters “Viva” were featured on an otherwise sparse stage, serving as a visual symbol of the celebration of challenges overcome, even if incongruous with the evening’s tragic story. According to publicity for the production, the performance also planned to take advantage of the sunset, timed to correspond with act 1’s impressive finale, “Te Deum.” Instead, opening night was met with a steady drizzle that later turned into heavier rain. The start time was delayed for twenty minutes in the hopes that the rain would let up enough for the orchestra to play without damaging their instruments.

Aleksey Bogdanov as Scarpia in Austin Opera’s Tosca. (Photo: Erich Schlegel.)

Eventually, it was announced that the performance would begin with electric piano, rather than full orchestra, until it was safe for the other instruments to come onstage. With empty seats visible in the orchestra and a piano accompanying the singers, the performance felt more casual, smaller in scope, almost like a rehearsal. During intermission, the musicians assembled onstage, but the rain resumed and they quickly exited, leaving only the keyboardist for the rest of the evening.

Given the circumstances, the singers performed admirably. Their talent deserved a full set and orchestra to back up their stage presence and their voices; yet, even in the production’s stripped-down state, they were consummate professionals, their vocal and acting talent shining through. Latonia Moore fully embodied the complex emotional range of the title character. Aleksey Bogdanov, as Scarpia, was a frightening villain, bringing all the bile to the character that audiences have come to expect. Adam Smith, as Tosca’s lover, the artist Cavaradossi, was particularly impressive, especially when he delivered the dramatic emotional aria, “E lucevan le stelle,” in act 3. Cavaradossi sings this romantic aria as he awaits execution by firing squad. It was raining more heavily at this point and by the time he finished singing he was soaking wet, but remained completely in character and seemingly unfazed...