The Lyric Opera specializes in traditional productions of well-known works. In past productions I’ve seen the performances, both vocal and instrumental, have been erratic. The Birch North Park Theatre, where the Lyric performs, has not always been kind, acoustically, to un-amplified singers.

But, all is forgiven, at least for now. The Lyric’s production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, while still traditional, featured high quality singing and excellent instrumental accompaniment, all the while managing to overcome the curse of the theatre’s acoustics.

Rossini’s comic opera, it is reported, was not well received at its initial performance. It was jeered by a claque in the opening night audience that supported a rival opera based on the same Beaumarchais play (Beaumarchais was a popular source: Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro was based on another portion of his trilogy). Once the claque departed, however, audiences fell in love with the music, particularly the overture. Its popularity only grew when Looney Tunes’ Chuck Jones decided to use it to underscore a Bugs Bunny cartoon titled Rabbit of Seville.

As might be surmised from the above, productions of The Barber of Seville tend to feature outlandish stage business to go with virtuoso singing. Unfortunately, J. Sherwood Montgomery’s by-the-numbers direction isn’t nearly fun enough, and the cast executed it in a fairly wooden manner. Only young Spike Sommers, in the non-singing role of Ambrogio, really caught the energy and level of physical performance that was needed to create the comic lunacy envisioned by Rossini (watch Mr. Sommers gleefully devolve into a headbanger during the Act One finale).

If the staging disappointed, the singing did not. Emily Douglass as Rosina displayed a coloratura that was mixed with dark chocolate, a potent combination. Scott Gregory’s big, rich baritone made Figaro the dominating figure he needed to be whenever he was on stage. Walter Dumelle’s Dr. Bartolo created a comic figure through mixing a basso with a mezzo (and his mezzo aria was very funny indeed). Robert Boldin’s light lyric tenor at first seemed not up to the challenges of Count Almaviva, but he warmed into the part and produced some bright ringing tones. He was especially effective in blending with other singers. Ashraf Sewailam’s music teacher had bass tones with just enough warmth to make them comic instead of menacing. In the smaller roles, Mary Boles impressed in her Act Two aria as Berta; likewise, Daniel Hall stood out in his Act Two appearance as a police officer.

Conductor Leon Natker led a 26-piece orchestra through a nuanced rendition of the famous overture and then settled into accompanying the singers sensitively. A crew of Lyric regulars (Mr. Montgomery, Matthew Novotny, and Pam Stompoly-Ericson) designed simple but serviceable sets, lighting, and costumes respectively.

Remaining performances are scheduled for November 14, 18, 20, and 21. The Lyric’s on-again-off-again financial problems are on again, so it’s good to report that they have an artistic success on their hands with The Barber of Seville. Let’s hope that artistic success will lead to financial success as well.

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