‘Tosca’ @ The Dallas Opera

Photos by Kyle Flubacker

—Gregory Sullivan Isaacs

Puccini’s über-dramatic, sightly sordid, but much-beloved opera Tosca received a first-class, no-holds-barred opening night performance, delivered by The Dallas Opera in the wondrous Winspear Opera House. They have the advantage of an excellent cast (both vocally and dramatically), accompanied by a terrific orchestra. and the services of the brilliant conductor and music director Emmanuel Villaume. Of equal importance is the passionate stage direction (originally by Jose Maria Condemi), artfully restaged by Andrew Nienabar.

Tosca is about true love versus sexual frenzy, war versus peace, religious devotion versus evil, torture versus tenderness, and death versus suicide (sort of; more about that later). Unlike many other operas, it is set in real time (1800) real Roman locations, is based on mostly real people, and is surrounded by real political turmoil.

Ewa Płonka’s Tosca is a passionate and believable super-diva, wracked by jealousy, a conundrum of strength and weaknesses. Vocally, Plonka easily conquers the extreme demands that Puccini assigned, with a sturdy spinto soprano voice of great evenness, though with a slight touch of stridency she’s able to mellow out most of the time. My only other minor complaint is that she tends to face the audience (and not her partner) while singing duets—perhaps looking out toward the conductor?

Jonathan Burton, as the passionate painter Mario Cavaradossi, was a very last-minute replacement for the scheduled superstar tenor Joseph Calleja. But he proved to be no back-bencher. Burton is marvelous throughout, dramatically and vocally accurate, and even manages to spin some supple, soft, and floaty passages among all the Italianate bravura high notes.

Gihoon Kim gave Baron Scarpia the feeling of a man out of control, as opposed to the usual slimy and sneering cartoon villain. This take on Scarpia’s character actually makes him more believable, but still not forgivable. His deep, fiery, and forceful baritone blasts out Puccini’s most dramatic music, yet can withdraw to a whimper when wanted.

Dale Travis presents a bumbling, but rascally lovable Sacristan. Thomas Cilluffo portrays Spoletta as a bedraggled but compliant servant to Scarpia.

Andrew Potter’s version of the escaped political prisoner, Angelotti, is physically all angles, but vocally communicative, though there is a widening vibrato that he manages to keep under control. His acting was acceptable, though occasionally reminiscent of the silent movie era.

Elsewhere in the cast, Erik Earl Larson makes the most out of the smaller role of Sciarrone. Christopher Harrison brings the minor role of the Jailor to life as a bored government functionary. Sripal Medala Metla’s clear boy soprano gives the unseen Shepherd Boy a real presence. Each of them underlines the truism that there are no small roles in theater.

The Dallas Opera Chorus was in excellent form, delivering the “Te Deum” that ends Act One with a forceful and thrilling rendition. And TDO’s children's chorus gives us a perfect depiction of a bunch of squirmy boys—excited to be singing in the great church, yet aware the venue demands more restraint.

But there’s no getting around it: the Big Disappointment of the evening was Tosca’s failure to throw herself off of the castle parapet to avoid arrest for murder (her solution to keeping the lascivious and drooling Baron Scarpia at bay). Tosca’s dive from the walls is perhaps the most well-known demise in all of opera. But Plonka just stands there, arms extended, as if expecting to be Raptured to the heavens. (Maybe she did the deed once the curtain closed to provide the lady some privacy?)

The opera’s settings are real places. (If you’re intrigued, see our links at the bottom of the review.) In fact, you can take a “Tosca Tour” when visiting the Holy City of Rome—a bit gruesome, perhaps, but no more so than sites commemorating other historical events in the city’s history. (Remember Julius Caesar?) The sets, designed by Robert Perdziola, make an effort to duplicate the actual buildings. He furnishes period-accurate costumes as well, including church vestments and a variety of nun’s habits. (David Zimmerman’s wigs and makeup and Thomas Hase’s lighting also help bring the story to life.)

For Act One, Perdziola uses a painted backdrop, rarely seen these days, to depict the inside of the Roman church of Sant’Andrea della Valle. (In the midst of all the realism a huge column suddenly rotates to give us another surprise view inside the basilica.) Act Two places the nefarious Scarpia in the Palazzo Farnese, in a gray, barren, and high-ceilinged office in which to spin his web. This visual has the effect of shrinking him in relationship to his surroundings, revealing his wrathful pronouncements to be nothing more than overcompensation tinged with uncontrollable lust. The turret depicted in Act Three actually resembles its real counterpart: if you’ve visited the Castel SantAngelo, it may look familiar.

Puccini’s 1900 opera was based on a truncated version of a play by Victorien Sardou, who wrote it for the great French tragedienne Sarah Bernhardt—which alone gives us a hint of Tosca’s originally intended characterization. But for modern opera audiences, the overpowering portrayal of the role by Maria Callas still resonates. In fact, The Dallas Opera’s inaugural 1957 season was launched with a production of Tosca starring none other than “La Divina” herself.

This critic’s advice? Catch one of Tosca’s remaining performances if you can, confirmed opera lover or not. It’s a great cast, and on Friday’s opening night, the Winspear’s applause-o-meter went off the charts.

WHEN: October 13, 15, 18, and 21, 2023

WHERE: Winspear Opera House, Dallas Arts District

WEB: dallasopera.org

LINKS to Roman settings in Tosca:

Here are links to the actual settings of the opera.

Act One: The church of Sant’Andrea della Valle  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant%27Andrea_della_Valle

Act Two: Palazzo Farnese (Farnese Palace)  https://turismoroma.it/en/places/farnese-palace

Act Three: The battlements of Castel Sant’Angelo  https://romesite.com/castelsantangelo.html