Although Charles Gounod’s Faust is one of the most successful operas ever written, a middling production brutally exposes its numerous shortcomings: shallow character development, stifling Victorian morality, and garish appropriation of Christian piety, to name a few. But the stunning vocal cast and taut direction of San Diego Opera’s opening night Faust production on Saturday (April 23) at Civic Theatre easily banished such curmudgeonly thoughts and restored more than a modicum of respect for this staple of the operatic canon.

Greer Grimsley’s wily, seductive Méphistophélès sparked the drama at every turn, from the moment he appeared—eerily rising from beneath his cadaver’s shroud in Dr. Faust’s musty laboratory—to the denouement when he dragged the dissolute Faust off to hell. His brawny bass-baritone connoted authority even at a whisper, and his felicitous declamation communicated every nuance of the text with unaffected ease. Even when required to sport a scarlet sorcerer’s jumpsuit or a huge, wide-brimmed circular hat seemingly borrowed from a 1950s Audrey Hepburn movie, Grimsley exuded rakish allure and complete command.

He clearly communicated the insight that temptation wears many disguises, and that the term “confidence man” explains in a word the Devil’s success. In the opening scene, when Grimsley first encounters Faust, he wears the well-tailored attire of the successful gentleman, and I immediately thought of Bernie Madoff, whose confident approach had sophisticated investors and institutions throwing money at him because he convinced them he could beat the fluctuations of the market. Modern secularists may scoff at the medieval caricatures of the Devil, but put him in an Armani suit, and they are doomed.

What a triumphant evening for soprano Ailyn Pérez, whose local debut in last year’s Romeo and Juliet (Gounod’s other successful opera) prompted much deserved adulation. What we did not hear in last season’s Juliet was the power of her bright lyric instrument, so masterfully applied to Marguerite’s climactic ascension accompanied by the angelic chorus. Most sopranos get the sweetness of the innocent village girl, but Pérez proved she could carry off Marguerite’s transformation with élan.

At times it seemed that Stephen Costello as Faust was working hard just to keep up in this trio. His polished tenor boasts all the traits we hope for: command, brightness at the top, a pleasing, well-modulated color throughout. If only he would supply greater passion. I found his Faust too hapless, too much a puppet of Méphistophélès; he wooed Marquerite earnestly, but not ardently.

Director David Gately kept the dramatic momentum alive throughout the production, especially in the crowd scenes, and he proved adept at using just a few villagers at a time on stage to punctuate action or illunimate a character’s fluctuating status in the community. The sword fights (directed by Dale Anthony Girard) were quite credible, and the cat fight between two village lasses from the chorus provided welcome comic relief. Especially in its offstage contributions, the redoubtable San Diego Opera Chorus projected its liturgical and heavenly offerings with rich color and clean ensemble definition. Kudos to guest conductor Walter Huff!

Robert Perdziola’s drab unit set, courtesy of Lyric Opera Chicago, explored interesting hues from soot gray to dusty brown and looked like the interior of a deserted warehouse, although blue twinkle lights were applied to conjure up the romance of evening in the scene where Faust courts Marguerite. This set didn’t look any better at San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House last June, either, although it allowed for swift, efficient scene changes. Among the special lighting effects (Michael Whitfield) were deep red flashes over the Devil when he was executing his sorcery.

As Valentin, Marguerite’s overprotective but ineffectual brother, baritone Brian Mulligan cut a swashbuckling figure and sang with ample tone and confidence, although his opening aria “Avant de quittez ces lieux” lacked the refined phrasing that makes this such a winning piece. Mezzo-soprano Sarah Castle’s exuberant, slightly hyperactive Siebel, Marquerite’s teen-age suitor, filled the room with less than focused sound and a muddy French that could have been Esperanto or Turkish. In two smaller roles, bass-baritone Scott Sikon (Wagner) and Jane Bunnell (Marthe) offered reliable portraits.

In the pit, Resident Conductor Karen Keltner presided over a reasonable facsimile of the score, although the orchestra lacked the drive and clean attacks Christoph Perick brought to Der Rosenkavalier. The San Diego season concludes next month with Bizet’s Carmen, opening on May 14.

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