L'italiana in Algeri

Tonight I saw the dress rehearsal for the latest production at McCaw Hall and enjoyed it immensely. The immense Stephanie Blythe was excellent as Isabella, but I thought the real star of the show was William Burden as Lindoro, who shines from the moment he walks on stage and sings 'Languir per un bella'. Sally Wolf was very good as Elvira and and so was Simone Alberghini as the Mustafa, who does a kind of Islamofascist 'Springtime for Hitler' thing that's a bit hammy, but works well for the buffa quality of the opera. This particular production by Chris Alexander has already worked well in Santa Fe and San Francisco and went off here without a hitch. Setting the comedy in Algeria between the First and Second World Wars with airplanes and hot-air balloons instead of ships worked very well, and that they could begin with a burning plane flying over a Muslim country nicely flouts the pc sensitivity that saw Ideomeno cancelled in Germany a few weeks ago. That the subjugation of women and impaling of infidels by an Islamic autocrat can be played for gags in Seattle is not just a matter for laughing, but a reason for rejoicing.