{"id":121807,"date":"2026-02-17T10:13:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=121807"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:13:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:13:46","slug":"scrutiny-fun-opera-canadian-opera-companys-barber-seville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/02\/17\/scrutiny-fun-opera-canadian-opera-companys-barber-seville\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | Fun At The Opera: The Canadian Opera Company\u2019s Barber Of Seville"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A
A scene from the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of The Barber of Seville, 2026 (Photo: \u00a9 Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Canadian Opera Company: The Barber of Seville, Gioachino Rossini. Luke Sutliff, Figaro; Joan Font, director; Daniela Candillari, conductor; Joan Guill\u00e9n, Set & Costume Designer, with: Dave Monaco, Count Almaviva (February 5 to 15); Pietro Adaini, Count Almaviva (February 17 to 21); Deepa Johnny, Rosina; Renato Girolami, Bartolo; Ariana Maubach, Berta; Luca Pisaroni, Basilio; Nathan Keoughan,Fiorello & Officer. February 15, 2026, Four Seasons Centre for the Arts. Continues until February 21; tickets here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of The Barber of Seville is, quite simply put, fun and funny. The humour in the story and delivery supported by Gioachino Rossini\u2019s fabulous score reinforces why this opera is a fan favourite and a great introduction to anyone new to opera.<\/p>\n

The comedy is rooted in devices of disguises and deception. The journey for Count Almaviva and Rosina to unite in love, aided by Figaro the barber, faces obstacles from Doctor Bartolo, Rosina\u2019s elderly guardian.<\/p>\n

As the story unfolds, you wonder, \u201cWhat could possibly go wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

The music, predominantly the overture, is so iconic that it has a standing in pop culture. I overheard a patron behind me remark, \u201cThey should play the Bugs Bunny version at intermission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the curtain opened, conductor Daniela Candillari<\/strong> led the COC orchestra through the irrepressible overture, highlighting how magnificently delightful Rossini\u2019s music is.<\/p>\n

\"Deepa
Deepa Johnny as Rosina and Renato Girolami as Bartolo in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of The Barber of Seville, 2026 (Photo: \u00a9 Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Cast<\/h3>\n

The cast was uniformly superb, with particularly strong comedic timing across the board. Physical movements were clearly choreographed with the music.<\/p>\n

Luke Sutliff<\/strong>\u2019s Figaro emerged as a controlled and collected fixer of problems, for a price, of course. His \u201cLargo al factotum\u201d was delivered with vivacious patter that left me breathless, even if the staging at that moment felt a touch static.<\/p>\n

Dave Monaco<\/strong> (on this performance, sharing the role with Pietro Adaini) was a versatile Count Almaviva, using both physicality and vocal colour to differentiate his disguises \u2014 the poor student Lindoro, the absurd soldier, and the substitute music teacher Don Alonso. Deepa Johnny<\/strong>\u2019s Rosina shone with beautiful, agile coloratura, projecting not just technical finesse but a smart, confident presence.<\/p>\n

Renato Girolami<\/strong> was an absolutely hilarious Bartolo. His rapid Italianate diction gave the role a memorable portrayal, and his performance was highly entertaining. As Basilio, Luca Pisaroni<\/strong> was suitably intimidating as the music teacher.<\/p>\n

The most enjoyable scene for me was Rosina\u2019s music lesson, where Don Alonso\u2019s exaggerated handling of the enormous piano, under Bartolo\u2019s vigilant gaze, sparked endless hilarity.<\/p>\n

\"Dave
Dave Monaco (centre) as Count Almaviva and Nathan Keoughan (left) as the Officer in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of The Barber of Seville, 2026 (Photo: \u00a9 Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Visuals<\/h3>\n

The production leaned heavily into commedia dell\u2019arte and circus aesthetics. Bald caps with side tufts of hair, pantomime, and clown-like gestures created a world that brought the fun of a carnival into the opera house. There were moments when the characters moved mechanically, illuminated by a glaring light that gave the impression of puppets.<\/p>\n

The palette that included lime greens and pinks was vibrant without tipping into gaudiness. The set itself was simple and understated, allowing the animation of the characters.<\/p>\n

The supernumerary actors, with no speaking or singing roles, added a layer of visual texture. They never distracted, but offered small easter eggs for wandering eyes, mini vignettes unfolding at the edges of the main action.<\/p>\n

On my way out, I overheard patrons remarking on the secondary characters creating backstories for them, a testament to the production\u2019s imaginative charm.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n

The Canadian Opera Company\u2019s Barber of Seville is bright, playful, and utterly delightful. With music that bubbles, acting that charms, and visuals that pop, it delivers a joyful and entertaining experience that only live theatre can provide.<\/p>\n

By Albert Wong<\/a> for Ludwig-Van.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville is, quite simply put, fun and funny.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":121811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42533,43,52,63],"tags":[628,42606,42675,42676,2013,42673,42674],"yst_prominent_words":[26592,6885,8540,8545,8554,34296,13093,9352,8541,8550,34300],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-REVIEW-2026-02-17T100734.556.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-vGD","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121807"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121807"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121816,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121807\/revisions\/121816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121807"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=121807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}