Touring New York City Opera slices through 'U' with 'Barber,' new talent

By Jenni Glenn

Fine & Performing Arts Editor

The New York Opera National Company introduces three relatively new talents in the role of Figaro during their touring production of "The Barber of Seville." The show lands at the Power Center this weekend.

NYONC tours allow young performers to gain experience on the stage. During this particular tour, the company will perform more than 60 shows using two main casts and one cover cast, which fills the chorus roles during the main cast performances. "That's very exciting but also wearing," said Hung Yun, who plays the lead in one of the main casts. "We have to prepare mentally and physically every time."

Of the three soloists portraying the role of Figaro the barber, only James Taylor of the cover cast has toured previously. On this tour, soloist Shon Sims breaks into the national touring company after four years of performing with the main company in New York. The tour also marks the third lead Yun's first professional music job, as well as his first job in the United States since leaving South Korea to study music here.

This length of the touring engagements provides the singers with the chance to master the part of Figaro. Sims, for example, will reprise this role with the Seattle Opera Company after the NYONC tour is over. The tour marks his first time performing the role of Figaro, so the repetition of touring will give Sims the opportunity to perfect his portrayal. He said his goal for the tour is "refinement - the sort of constantly evolving process in developing a character or learning a role."

The responsibility for carrying the show falls on the singer playing Figaro. The humorous, energetic character appears in nearly every scene. This strains the singers, especially when they must perform night after night on tour. "The amount of performances there are teaches you how to sing a role like this, how to not give everything but to still keep the audience interested," Taylor said.

That task will be simpler since the company has excellent material to work with in the form of composer Gioachino Rossini's classic, "The Barber of Seville." Based on the first play in a trilogy by Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais, the opera follows the barber, Figaro, as he plots to unite lovers Count Almaviva and Rosina under the watch of her jealous guardian Dr. Bartolo. "Figaro gets to be the devil's advocate," Sims said. "He's everyone's best friend."

The energetic role of Figaro provides baritones with a lead, which is unusual. Typically baritones end up portraying old men or villains, but "The Barber of Seville" breaks this norm by placing a baritone in the title part, which is filled with comic lines and exposed parts in the music. "Any baritone, especially any high baritone, wants to do this role," Yun said. "This is a dream role for a baritone."

Yun also has his own personal connection to the role. His father, a famous South Korean singer, portrayed Figaro in many productions. "I hope sometimes that I share the time (onstage) with my father," Yun said of the role.

Due to the comic aspects of Figaro, the leads have an opportunity to emphasize their acting skills as well as their singing. "I'm an actor first, and this role gives me the opportunity to work with a language that's not my own yet communicate wonderful ideas," Taylor said.

The production's comic situations partially mask the underlying political themes of the story. Written during the 19th Century, the opera pokes fun at the aristocracy by having the simple barber, a sort of everyman, outsmart his social superiors. "Now we take it more as an amusement, and our production focuses more on the comedy aspect," Sims said.

The humor helps make "The Barber of Seville" an enduring classic, since the audience relates to the plot easily. "People think opera is about sitting there and listening," Taylor said. "With this piece, you really want to be involved in it. It really speaks to the humanity of us."

The opera's music has become as universal as the message. Films and cartoons sample famous portions of "The Barber of Seville" regularly. "People really know the show without knowing it," Sims said. "Now you'll hear the whole piece and see how it fits together."

Music and plot contribute equally to the show's long-standing popularity. "The Barber of Seville" continues to be

one of the two most-performed operas in the world today, nearly 200 years after the first performance. "When you combine those two things together, the story and the music, you can't beat it," Sims said.

With "The Barber of Seville," the company continues its tradition of bringing opera to small cities. "That's the goal of the company, I believe, to bring this to small towns that don't have the opportunity to see this kind of thing," Sims said. The cities on the schedule include his hometown of Orange, Texas, where many relatives and friends will see him perform for the first time.

NYCONC introduces students and families across the country to the art of opera. Although opera has a reputation for being difficult for mainstream audiences to grasp, humorous plot lines such as the one in "The Barber of Seville" can make it more accessible to viewers. "It's not boring, not elitist like you might think," Taylor said. "It's a real story that will make you laugh and make you cry."