I doubt this has been said of many Il Barbiere di Siviglia performances, but it’s my review and I’m sticking to it: the Berta (mezzo-soprano Emily Damasco) runs away with the show.

At Curtis’s opening night, it was Damasco in the Act I finale whose glowing high notes illuminated the line as one rarely hears (the character is usually undercast vocally and—perhaps for intended compensation—annoyingly overacted). In Act II, where Berta’s aria so often feels like a wan comic place-filler, Damasco not only truly sang it—she also brought vivacity and sparkle…

Read the full review at Parterre Box.