DANIEL BUCKLEY
Tucson Citizen
March 29, 2003

No lover of singing in his or her right mind should miss Arizona Opera Company's production of "Tosca. "A dream cast, strong work from the orchestra pit, simple yet grand and fitting sets, palpable staging and magical lighting contributed to the success of the venerable Puccini classic last night at the Tucson Convention Center's Music Hall.

But these singers could have performed in a darkened room in front of Dixie cups and it would have been a great "Tosca."Not surprisingly, it was the production's Tosca - soprano Victoria Litherland - who made the most striking impression.

Blessed with a voice capable of blowtorch intensity and caressing tenderness, she took on all compass points of Puccini's fiendish charts with only the tiniest, most fleeting blemishes. But as much as her vocal agility and great range both in terms of pitch and expression - her dramatic skills proved remarkable.And Tosca is no simple part. Litherland believably moved from emotion to emotion as lithely as from note to note.

And while one might cite her for littering in the second act, as she manically strewed the stage with papers from the evil Scarpia's desk before prying the note that would free her and her lover from Scarpia's cold, dead hand (next to Charlton Heston's gun), her singing would make even an evil cop turn a blind eye.

Nearly her equal was Tucson-born tenor Antonio Nagore as Tosca's lover, Mario Cavaradossi. In the decade since he last graced the AOC stage, Nagore's voice has grown in strength and agility to a large, masterful instrument.  But he proved himself a sensuous singer as well, infusing his love scenes with Litherland with both tenderness and all-consuming love.  While baritone Gordon Hawkins seemed to be having a tough night with his lowest register, he was unforgettable as the evil Baron Scarpia. He brought to the role a mix of cruel restraint and unbridled lust.  At one moment he confidently invites Tosca to his dinner table, knowing that she will eventually realize that she has no choice but to let him have her in order to save her lover.   A minute later, as she recoils from the very thought, he throws her across a table, jumps up on it and practically mounts her.  It was a bit of stage business that some may have found too much, but it propelled the action most believably toward Tosca's eventually stabbing him to death.

Nobody lives happily ever after in this opera. Except the audience. Don't miss it!