Commentary
On March 31, I went to see San Diego Opera’s production of “Tosca.” I’ve followed this company’s news and programming for years, but I had never seen one of their productions before. Since I knew several singers in the chorus of “Tosca,” I decided to submit a media inquiry to review the show. I went to the third of four shows, which were on March 25, 28, 31, and April 2. It was performed at the Civic Theater in downtown San Diego, a beautiful venue for performing live arts. I was pleasantly surprised by how traditional and artistic the production was.
“Tosca” is an opera by Giacomo Puccini in three acts, focusing on three main characters. The words are in Italian, so English and Spanish supertitles were used. The setting is Rome during the Napoleonic Era, one hundred years before the opera was written. The three main characters are Tosca, a soprano, Cavaradossi, a tenor, and Scarpia, a baritone. Floria Tosca is a famous opera singer and a woman of great faith. Mario Cavaradossi is a painter and Tosca’s lover. Baron Scarpia is a corrupt official who feigns piety but controls the city with cruelty and lust….