The Marriage of Figaro is the sequel to The Barber of Seville. Not in the operatic world, where Mozart wrote the Marriage before Rossini did the Barber, but in the Beaumarchais plays upon which the two librettos were based. The two operas thus share the lead character, Figaro, a cunning servant quick on his feet and with his wits.

Now, we all know where we are going with this: the last Figaro on the SF Opera stage was Nathan Gunn, in the Barber, a role he'll take again this Fall. Nathan is some serious eye candy who cannot keep a shirt on for more than 20 minutes. We like to keep our audience as happy as any Maxim reader, so we promise some gratuitous sexy pictures of him after the jump. We could not find pictures of the alternate cast, so Nathan will do.

The current Figaro opens the opera with his shirt off, so the comparison arises quite naturally. And maybe John Relyea, the main Figaro in this summer series, is able to sustain said comparison. Alternate cast member Christopher Feigum, whom we saw last week, shares with Nathan a voice which prefers musicality over power, but the abs: not exactly.

Picture of Claudia Mahnke (Cherubino) by Terrence McCarthy, SF Opera. Barely safe for work photo of Nathan Gunn by Larry Merkle

The four main roles last Thursday had been given to alternates, which was an excellent opportunity for us to see new faces, in addition to new torsos. We were not the only one scouting the young singers: Music director Donald Runnicles had left the pit and sat the first half in a balcony box, and we could see he was all business, the only person in the hall not applauding after the arias.

Other notables we ran into the hallways: the current Adler fellows, a tight group who came to support one of theirs, Melody Moore, in her big role on a big stage debut (an Adler fellowship is basically a scholarship to study opera with the crew of the SF Opera, extended to about a dozen talented young singers every year). We were able to ask Sean Pannikar why he was not taking a bow at the end of Joan of Arc, also running right now, and his answer was: because they saluted at intermission. We add: Duh. We were wondering why they would get a group of singers out of the curtains for a salute so early. Sure they were good, we thought, but not that exceptional. But since they were not singing again, they were sent home early. It was not presumptuous, just common sense. Too bad for Pannikar, he would have seen more applause at the end instead of the backs of people running to the concessions for their half time glass of cabernet.

Mezzo Melody Moore was the countess. A quick recap of the action: in the Barber, Figaro helps the count marry the countess. Now it's his turn to get married, but the count, who was showing progressive, revolutionary friendly ideals in the Barber, now wants to reinstate the droit de cuissage for Figaro's bride and him. Figaro is not pleased, and neither is the count's wife, the abandoned countess. Melody Moore, who is also Mrs. Pinkerton in Butterfly, just can't find the right husband.

Nevertheless, she makes lemonade with the scoundrels the opera casting gods keep marrying her to. After shaking a few early jitters, her countess was a delight. Her big aria in act III in particular allowed her to display a range of emotions, with the corresponding hues in her voice: a sadness tinted with anger, a nostalgic reminiscence of those better times in the Barber, and a ray of hope. Her voice had the maturity of the weary countess, a tone with no abrasion, no sharp corners, just steadiness and strength.

Her voice contrasted perfectly with the sharper, perkier tone of Cora Burggraaf, her maid Susanna. Burggraaf did not demerit in her singing parts, quite the opposite, but her acting takes the award. Her stage presence, even when she shuts up, is undeniable. Her comic timing is perfect, her expressions spot on.

The Count himself, baritone Tommi Hakala, is charming to hear. Of course, his character requires a bit more meanness, and Hakala played it a tad too nice. A darker, more forceful voice would fit the character a bit better. Nonetheless, what made the performance especially nice is that all the performers melded together very well, with no one pulling the covers to his or herself.

Claudia Mahnke's Cherubino is part of the regular cast, and was a darling light fluttery little butterfly; Peter Strummer as the big voiced drunk gardner goes for the laughs, and get them. Nikki Einfeld, as Barbarina, matches Cherubino point for point for perkiness. We would not be surprised if she were doing cartwheels backstage.

While Runnicles was in the balcony, Roy Goodman was conducting. Rodelinda is the only opera this season that we haven't seen, and that's the last one Goodman was conducting. We had read Joshua Kosman's review of the premiere, and we have to agree with the unevenness at the baton. The overture was too fast paced, with the notes coming out blurred. And the too brusk transitions between the different pieces were not fully worked out.

We rarely mention the director, but John Copley's work with the actors was splendid. No doubt that working with a game and youthful cast helped. That cast, minus Melody Moore (replaced by another alternate, Twyla Robinson), will play one more time on June 30, while the regular cast will finish the last performances. But we are pretty sure we'll see Melody back in a major role on this stage.

The Marriage of Figaro
Tue. June 20, 8 pm; Sat. June 24, 2:30 pm; Tue. June 27, 7:30 pm; Thu. June 29, 7:30 pm; Fri. June 30, 8 pm; Sun. July 2, 2 pm
War Memorial Opera House
301 Van Ness Ave
Box office: 864-3330