Opera San Jose: Bollywood Meets Figaro

The Marriage of Figaro

September 10, 2022

Maya Kherani as Susanna.
Photos by David Allen.

Opera San Jose's re-setting of Figaro into the 1890s British Raj of India works like a charm, thanks in no small part to a cast full of South Asian faces and an immaculate attention to detail. Of course, you'd have to give equal credit to the piece itself. Has there ever been a time or place when we haven't had class inequalities, marital infidelities, jealous spouses and horny teenagers?

The performance's beginnings were not so promising. Our Susanna seemed oddly quiet, and the usually reliable chair scene didn't quite click. Also, conductor Viswa Subbaraman was having a hard time negotiating tempi with his singers. I'm happy to report, this all faded as the performers loosened up and their core talent came through. 

The principal quartet makes an excellent case study.  Our nobles, the Almavivas, Count and Contessa, are played by baritone Eugene Brancoveanu and soprano Maria Natale, and are all about power and anguish. Brancoveanu's Count is a fine balance between Casanova and buffoon, making his perpetual defeats a joy to the groundlings. His recitation of grievances, "Vedro, mentre io sospiro," is particularly forceful and hilarious. Natale's instrument is just as strong, the kind of sound that gets into your head and shakes things around. Her "Dove sono" is heartbreaking, marred only by some unsteady breathing. I also enjoyed her reaction to Cherubino's adolescent crush. Most Countesses employ bemused dismissiveness. Natale's reaction is bemusement, but with a sincere gratitude for much-needed adoration.

Susanna (Maya Kherani), The Countess
(Maria Natale) and Cherubino (Deepa Johnny).

Down in the servants' quarters we have baritone Efrain Solis as Figaro, as smooth and wily in presence as he is in vocal delivery. I particularly enjoyed his work in the recitatives, dancing with the artful handiwork of harpsichordist Veronika Agranov-Dafoe. When the dam finally bursts in Figaro's rant against women, "Aprite un po' quegl'occhi," the wildness of Solis's delivery is pretty hilarious. Recovering from her early timidity, soprano Maya Kherani in fact makes a perfect Susanna, pretending helplessness in the manner of an Indian "bruha" archetype as she schemes her way through one crisis after another. Her singing is the same, understated but packed with small, well-crafted touches. Her cadenza at the end of "Deh vieni, non tardar" proved exceptionally artful and moving, even with the knowledge that she was really just playing a prank on her new husband.

Comically, the ensemble work under stage director Brad Dalton grew stronger as the evening progressed. After Cherubino's famed "Voi che sapete" - delivered with a fetching innocence by mezzo Deepa Johnny - the page is forced to hide from the jealous Count on the balcony, followed by all manner of door-slamming farce. Besides inspiring lots of laughter, the scene was a reminder of the depth of Mozart's brilliance, dishing out musical diamonds (e.g., the Countess and Susanna's tight, harmonized fusillades of scolding) even in the midst of chaos.

Figaro (Efrain Solis) and the Count (Eugene Brancoveanu).

Bass Matthew Anchel gifted the unscrupulous Dr. Bartolo with a cave-deep resonance and a ready comic sense. Mezzo Tahanee Aluwihare played a Marcellina much more subtle than the usual hag, giving her a certain librarian charm. Bass-baritone Jesus Vicente Murillo had a grand time playing the drunken gardener Antonio.

The production was blessed throughout with the fine touches of Indian culture. The dancers lent the festive scenes a sense of Bollywood joy, doing their best to match their moves to the old Austrian rhythms. Other pleasures included face-marking, the wedding ritual, and a trio of antique cricket bats. I enjoyed the thick, bushy hair and mustache of the Count (Heather Sterling, wig and makeup), which gave him the appearance of every other Bollywood leading man of the '70s.

Costume designer Deepsikah Chatterjee delineates the gender-war by dressing the Act I male principals in green, the women in fuschia. Her work throughout is dazzling, especially Figaro's sun-yellow wedding outfit. Steven C. Kemp's set design made an interesting marriage between Mozartean traditions and Indian palettes.

Speaking of traditions, the season-opening singing of the national anthem is always a treat, especially because opera audiences contain some excellent vocalists. With Austrian music, Italian words, Indian costumes, and supertitles in English and Spanish, it was truly an international evening.

Through September 25, California Theatre, 345 S. First Street, San Jose, California. $55-$195, 408/437-4450, www.operasj.org.

Michael J. Vaughn is a 35-year opera critic and author of 28 novels, available at Amazon.com.