Un bacio — un bacio — ancora un bacio: A kiss, a kiss, and again a kiss. So says Verdi's Otello to Desdemona, but this marriage can't last, not when the evil Iago's out to convince the noble Moor that his innocent wife has been unfaithful. Driven mad with jealousy, Otello strangles Desdemona and then, apprised of his error, stabs himself. Sound like a downer? Not when it's given a wonderful production by Opera Tampa, the resident opera company of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Everything about this production was first-class. Maestro Anton Coppola led the Opera Tampa Orchestra with his usual élan, tenor Antonio Barasorda brought us a truly tortured Otello, and baritone Stephen Kechulius was an Iago who knew just how to disguise his reprehensible meanness. As for Desdemona, well, Yali-Marie Williams played the final bedroom scene with such emotional authenticity that she had the bedazzled audience in her hand. Other performers who deserve praise: Rafael Davila as Cassio and Tim Simpson as Roderigo. Bravo, Opera Tampa; you're a real gem in the crown of this area's culture.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2003.