The Barber of Seville Reviews

The reviews for The Barber of Seville are in and it is a hit! Read excerpts from the reviews below and click on the title to read the full review.  While you are here, please share your thoughts about the production by commenting below, and don’t forget to check back throughout the week to read all of the reviews of The Barber of Seville. 

Libby Hanssen in The Kansas City Star:
Lyric caps stellar season with a bravura ‘Barber’
“…the production, a sumptuous visual palette that combined period touches with surreal sequences…breezy, enjoyable romp.”

Nihan Yesil of KCMetropolis.org:
Rossini’s madcap “Barber”
“The Lyric Opera of Kansas City closes its first season at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts on a high note with a smart and entertaining production of Rossini’s masterpiece ‘The Barber of Seville.’…It was comic opera at its best.”

Paul Horsley of The Independent:
Lyric Opera concludes season with witty, attractive production
“This wittiest of comedies formed a fitting conclusion to what may have been the Lyric Opera’s most distinguished season so far – its first in the Kauffman Center…”

Tim Russell of KCStage.com:
The Greatest Thing You’ve Probably Already Missed

This post will be updated as the reviews come in.

Nixon in China Reviews

The reviews are in for Nixon in China and the critics are impressed.  Excepts of the reviews are posted below, click the links for to read the full reviews.

Robert Trussell of The Kansas City Star:
“The Lyric Opera’s production of ‘Nixon in China’ is in a word, stunning…with splendid performances by exceptional soloists, innovative staging and a jaw-dropping physical production, this show is one for the books.”
Click to read the full review.

Lee Hartman of KCMetropolis.org:
“’Nixon in China’ was a visual, aural, psychological, and philological tour de force filled with timely allusions and timeless humanity.  Building off an already remarkable season, the Lyric outdid itself with this gutsy show.”
Click to read the full review.

William Carl Ferleman of popmatters.com:
“Overall, this production of Nixon in China was quite extraordinary and exceptional. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City should be proud.”
Click to read the full review.

Write your own review below, or check back later to read more.

Poised for Growth

Zachary Woolfe, a reporter for The New York Times, attended the Sunday matinee performance of Così fan tutte and reviewed the production.  While his thoughts on the production of Così fan tutte were complimentary, the parts that stuck out to us were about the Company in general.  Mr. Woolfe talks about how the Company has weathered the economic situation of these past few years.

Mr. Woolfe wrote, “Like every opera company in America, the Lyric Opera has taken a hit from the economic downturn. For two seasons Gilbert and Sullivan chestnuts took the place of more adventurous works. But the company has not had to resort to the more drastic measures taken elsewhere, like canceling whole seasons or substituting concerts for staged opera.”

“Instead the Lyric Opera’s ambitious plans have become reality: the move to the Kauffman Center, as well as the opening of a new administrative and production center nearby. John Adams’s ‘Nixon in China’ arrives in March; those Gilbert and Sullivans, it turns out, were no more than a temporary retrenchment.”

Click to read the full review of Così fan tutte.  We agree with Mr. Woolfe that some sacrifices these last few years may have put the Lyric Opera in a great position to produce some of the best opera in the Company’s history.

Così fan tutte Receives High Praise

Così fan tutte opened on Saturday and the reviews are coming in.  See below for excerpts from the various reviews and links to the full text.  If you have seen the show already, share your own review and tell us what you thought!

Timothy McDonald of The Kansas City Star
“On the surface, the plot of Mozart’s late opera ‘Così Fan Tutte’ seems almost like a sitcom, yet as the new production by the Lyric Opera of Kansas City shows, there’s no reason to let a little fun get in the way of some of the most elegant music this side of creation.”  Click to read the full review

Paul Horsley of The Independent
“The production is a worthy follow-up to the company’s Kauffman Center opener of Turandot, and it demonstrated that the Muriel Kauffman Theatre is as adaptable to intimate, small-scale opera as to lavish display (maybe even more so).” Click to read the full review (you may need to scroll down)

Lee Hartman of KCMETROPOLIS.ORG
“An abrupt 180-degree shift from opulence of ‘Turandot,’ the Lyric Opera Kansas City’s updated version of Mozart’s ‘Così fan tutte’ was an intimate ensemble affair with some over-the-top laughs.” Click to read the full review.

Zachary Woolfe of The New York Times
“…breezy…simple and effective…elegant…strong…”  Click to read the full review.

Another Great Turandot Review

Alex Ross, Music Critic at The New Yorker, was in the Midwest recently and part of his trip brought him to Kansas City to see Turandot in the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.  Mr. Ross writes about his trip on his blog (Alex Ross: The Rest is Noise), which took him through Red Cloud Nebraska, Tulsa and Kansas City.

The trip was not all pleasure though.  While in Tulsa and Kansas City Mr. Ross caught some performances for which he has a review in a recent issue of The New Yorker.

For Turandot he writes, “The ‘Turandot,’ directed by Garnett Bruce and designed by R. Keith Brumley, is a markedly more thoughtful show than the Zeffirelli warehouse sale that still clutters the stage of the Met”.  To read more excepts click here.  Note: You must be a subscriber to The New Yorker to read the full review online.

Turandot Opens to Rave Reviews

Turandot opened on October 1st and the reviews are in.  See a list of the reviews available below or post your review and tell us what you thought of the production!

Robert Trussell of The Kansas City Star
“…the acoustics were excellent. And the vivid physical production impressed…The principals, the Kansas City Symphony and the Lyric Opera Chorus bring out all the heroic gestures and delicate colors under conductor Ward Holmquist.”  Click to read the full review.

Sarah Tyrrell of KCMetropolis.org
“Turandot was the ideal artistic vehicle for this inaugural event of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s season, and the audience welcomed the titular princess into their new home with enthusiastic appreciation.”  Click to read the full review.

Paul Horsley of The Independent
“With this production the Lyric Opera is entering a new epoch in its history, and future productions will doubtless be measured by the ambitions of this show.” Click to read the full review (you may need to scroll down to find the review).

Check back later for more reviews or write your own in the comment section below.  One blogger in attendance on Opening Night has already written his, post your own and share your thoughts with our readers. 

Stevie Reynolds – Location, Location
COMMANDOpera – Turandot Review