SEATTLE OPERA "Tosca" May 3 through May 17, 2025 5/10/25 Review
TOSCA
Seattle Opera
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
McCaw Hall
Seattle, WA
May 10, 2025 7:30pm
The season finale production for the Seattle Opera, “Tosca”, opened one week ago. Due to a personal matter, I could not attend opening night. However, I was able to attend the May 10th performance last night.
The show was absolutely exquisite. Divided into three acts, the opening of act one with the sweeping music of Puccini set the tone perfectly for the rest of the evening. There are times when what could be best described as an old world feeling comes across in some of the opera productions I’ve reviewed. “Tosca” had this in spades. I felt transported back to another time where I was no longer in 2025 in Seattle, WA. I was in a world unfamiliar to me which I loved.
The behind the scenes artisans that put this production together deserve every ounce of praise. The staging, costuming, lighting design, you name it, it was stellar.
I would also add that this libretto is one of the few that almost any patron can follow with ease. This makes “Tosca” a great entry level opera for the uninitiated. The themes, along with the music, come together in such a pleasing manner, it’s hard not to get caught up in the production.
While the entire cast was spectacular, the leads were on another level. So much so, that during the curtain call, they received an immediate standing ovation from the crowd. Rame Lahaj as Mario Cavaradossi and Vanessa Goikoetxea as Floria Tosca were just brilliant. Vanessa in particular wowed me with her vocal prowess along with her emotional delivery of every line in every song. She really lost herself in the character and the audience roared in approval at the curtain call. Craig Colclough as Baron Scarpia received the loudest booing from the audience that I’ve ever heard at a performance (he played a nasty villain btw) which eventually turned into massive applause for his masterly performance. In other words he played his part as great as anyone could possibly play it.
The choir sounded strong and robust under chorus master Michaella Calzaretta and Leonardo Sini had the orchestra sounding better than ever.
What else can I say? “Tosca” was arguably one of the best operas I’ve seen from the Seattle Opera.
“Tosca” runs through May 17th. Tickets are available: HERE!
Best,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect with Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media and Email Links
Seattle Opera
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
McCaw Hall
Seattle, WA
May 10, 2025 7:30pm
(Vanessa Goikoetxea as Floria Tosca in Seattle Opera's production of "Tosca." Photo: Sunny Martini.)
The season finale production for the Seattle Opera, “Tosca”, opened one week ago. Due to a personal matter, I could not attend opening night. However, I was able to attend the May 10th performance last night.
The show was absolutely exquisite. Divided into three acts, the opening of act one with the sweeping music of Puccini set the tone perfectly for the rest of the evening. There are times when what could be best described as an old world feeling comes across in some of the opera productions I’ve reviewed. “Tosca” had this in spades. I felt transported back to another time where I was no longer in 2025 in Seattle, WA. I was in a world unfamiliar to me which I loved.
The behind the scenes artisans that put this production together deserve every ounce of praise. The staging, costuming, lighting design, you name it, it was stellar.
(Vanessa Goikoetxea as Floria Tosca (left) and Rame Lahaj as Mario Cavaradossi (right) in Seattle Opera's production of "Tosca." Photo: Sunny Martini.)
I would also add that this libretto is one of the few that almost any patron can follow with ease. This makes “Tosca” a great entry level opera for the uninitiated. The themes, along with the music, come together in such a pleasing manner, it’s hard not to get caught up in the production.
While the entire cast was spectacular, the leads were on another level. So much so, that during the curtain call, they received an immediate standing ovation from the crowd. Rame Lahaj as Mario Cavaradossi and Vanessa Goikoetxea as Floria Tosca were just brilliant. Vanessa in particular wowed me with her vocal prowess along with her emotional delivery of every line in every song. She really lost herself in the character and the audience roared in approval at the curtain call. Craig Colclough as Baron Scarpia received the loudest booing from the audience that I’ve ever heard at a performance (he played a nasty villain btw) which eventually turned into massive applause for his masterly performance. In other words he played his part as great as anyone could possibly play it.
(Craig Colclough as Baron Scarpia (left) and John Marzano as Spoletta (right) in Seattle Opera's production of "Tosca." Photo: Sunny Martini.)
The choir sounded strong and robust under chorus master Michaella Calzaretta and Leonardo Sini had the orchestra sounding better than ever.
What else can I say? “Tosca” was arguably one of the best operas I’ve seen from the Seattle Opera.
“Tosca” runs through May 17th. Tickets are available: HERE!
Best,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect with Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media and Email Links
(Ilya Silchukou as Sciarrone (left) and Craig Colclough as Baron Scarpia (right) in Seattle Opera's production of "Tosca." Photo: Sunny Martini.)
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