November 25 1998 ANNETTE MARTIN ust, politics, and religion are Pcie topics that should not be discussed at a dinner table. But they form the background to Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, and are compelling combined with the romance, jealousy and violence that characterize this opera. The Vancouver Opera produc- tion that opened on Saturday night did not disappoint. All the fiery passion and sweetness that is Tosca's personality was finely bal- anced by the barely contained sadism and power of the villain- ous Baron Scarpia. Set in one June day in Rome in 1899, Tosca tells the story of two lovers—Mario Cavaradossi (Clifton Forbis), a cavalier and artist, and Floria Tosca (Marquita Lister), a convent-raised, much- celebrated diva. Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars, personal intrigue is played out in an atmosphere of political tur- moil and religious fervor. Act One opens in the church of Sant’ Andrea della Valle, where Cavaradossi is painting a portrait of Mary Magdalene based on a blond model. Tosca demonstrates her jealous nature by demanding that her lover change the colour of the portrait’s eyes. Meanwhile, Cavaradossi’s old friend Cesare Angelotti—played by Brian Nickel—is political prisoner who has just escaped from the clutches of Baron Scarpia (per- fectly portrayed by Canadian baritone Tom Fox). Cavaradossi agrees to help the escapee, but as Baron Scarpia inflames 'Tosca’s suspicious jealousy, she inadvertent- ly leads him to Angelotti's new hiding place land the main characters are doomed. (Cavaradossi is arrested and tortured while carpia attempts to rape Tosca. And even fter his own death (at Tosca’s hand), Scarpia’s duplicitous nature reaches out to betray the stay of Cavaradossi’s execution he has so harshly negotiated with the hero- ine. This opera contains three well-loved hrias, but of those three, it was ‘Vissi hiding in the church's chapel. Angelotti is a d’arte, vissi d'amore’ (‘I have seen art, | have seen love’) that received the most appreciative applause from the first night as Spoletta, she Baron's old- hearted henchman. Clifton Forbis didn’t quite look the part in his role as hero, and audience. The soft opening notes were sung some of the stage directing, particularly in as Marquita Lister lay face down on the stage, yet every word was sharp and dis- tinct. When she reached the heart-wrench- Act Two, seemed a little contrived, but this could have been nothing more than open- ing-night jitters. peroenal intrigue is played cut in an atwespkere ef political turmoil and neligiens ferver ing crescendo, asking God why he has rewarded her with so much suffering, the American soprano held the audience in the palm of her hand while Tosca’s despair swelled through the auditorium Most of the principles turned in excel- lent performances. Peter Strummer showed a fine comical touch as the downtrodden Sacristan of the church, and Marcel van Neer (a tenor from Ontario) was chilling These small criticisms were more than offset by the superb acting and singing of Marquita Lister and Tom Fox. In a pre-per- formance interview, Lister is quoted as say- ing, “People who want only voice can get the CD. Opera is theatre.” And theatre is what she gave the audience, who were enthralled by the physical scene between the tall soprano and her menacing tormen- tor, Scarpia (Fox). As usual, the Vancouver Opera chorus, directed by Leslie Uyeda, turned in a won- derful performance, adding their excellent? voices to the score while not diverting attention from the principals. They were applauded loudly by the appreciative home audience when they took their curtain call at the end of Act One. The sets, courtesy of Seattle Opera sce- nic studios, were perfect for the opera's set- ting, but the lighting of some scenes was a little confusing, especially in Act Three when four o'clock in the morning some- times appeared closer to a midsummer noon, But overall, Puccini’s music was well rep- resented by this performance, and a six- year old attendee summed up the evening perfectly when he said, “It was all pretty good, but my favourite character was Tosca. She was really, really good.” And she was.