Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...With a competent if routine performance at its core, this "Tosca" is hardly one for the ages. But what really makes it a downer is the grim, harsh production by British director John Caird that also is being presented here for the first time. It gives Lyric its first disappointment in a season that so far has been marked by one superior show after the other."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Aided not only by striking sets and costumes but also by top-flight co-stars and a sumptuously colored orchestra led by Dmitri Jurowski, Serjan exceeded those high expectations. "Tosca" is one of the world's most popular operas; opera lovers cherish memories of great Toscas they've heard, along with stars like Pavarotti as the painter Cavaradossi, her ardent lover, and Tito Gobbi and James Morris as the villainous police chief, Scarpia. But this production, staged by John Caird with sets and costumes by Bunny Christie, offers something more: a fresh approach to staging as evocative as the singing."
Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended
"...Were it not for the perfect emotional tone and flawless technique of the singers in this production, along with the exquisite musicality of the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus (under the direction of Dmitri Jurowski and Michael Black, respectively), these small production missteps would be game changers for Lyric's Tosca. As it stands, they are minor distractions to a major display of world-class operatic talent in a thought provoking new setting."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...Rekindling the fire, even the sense of surprise, in an opera as frequently mounted as Puccini's "Tosca" is no small trick. But that is precisely the triumph of the new production that opened Jan. 24 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago - a mesmerizing night of music theater imaginatively staged, perceptively conducted and gloriously sung."
Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended
"...If you can look past the flawed visions of Caird and Christie, Tosca remains an enjoyable production, not least because of Puccini's haunting score, energetically conducted by Dmitri Jurowski in his Lyric debut. Chicago Children's Choir make welcome appearances in Act One, brightening the otherwise dark and gloomy set. Richard Ollarsaba of the Ryan Opera Center similarly shines in the brief but important role of Angelotti. His clear and limpid bass-baritone has already been heard in three Lyric productions this season, and remains to be heard in one more, Weinberg's The Passenger."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...This swiftly paced and glowingly powerful and deeply romantic new production is a glorious example of Puccini's emotional music. Add the tremendous vocals by Tatiana Serjan with her wonderful acting chops with the powerful deeply felt emotions from Brian Jagde's Cararaducci and this stunning production enchanted and moved the opening night audience into screams of joy and vigorous applause. Powerful acting by the villain Scarpia(that earned him a "boo") was spot on by Evgeny Nikitin to complement the ferocious performances by Jadge and Serjan. The Lyric Opera as another splendid production for both opera patrons and newbies to the art form. This is splendid opera. Don't miss it."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended
"...Bunny Christie's stage design doesn't fare better. Her set is a drab, derelict box of concrete with a rectangular hole in the ceiling, which becomes a church, a storage room in the Palazzo Farnese, and a prison. No matter what objects are filling it, the set evokes Soviet Russia, not eternal Rome. The program notes talk about the choice of setting the opera in a starker and more brutal world than is usually depicted. John Singer Sargent's dark paintings of Venice are cited as inspiration. The difference is that Sargent's images of a mysterious and edgy Venice are still inherently beautiful (to put it in the words that Cavaradossi sings: they show "a subtle harmony of contrasting beauty"). Beautiful, this production of Tosca is not. And considering that this is very much an opera about beauty and the creative power of the artist, it all adds up to a huge disappointment."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...Puccini's timeless compositions make us fall in love. Sometimes, it's with another person. Always, it's with him. In particular TOSCA boasts one of my favorite Puccini arias, Recondita armonia. And Jagde's rendition is swoon-worthy. There is a reason TOSCA is a Puccini favorite. And the Lyric is giving you an extended opportunity to experience it. Lyric's TOSCA is your winter destination!"
NewCity Chicago - Recommended
"...Puccini’s score for “Tosca” is chock-full of thrilling moments. The crashing opening chords introduce us to Angelotti, whose escape from prison drives the plot. We don’t wait long for Cavaradossi’s throbbing ode to his love, “Recondita armonia.” Tosca’s calls of “Mario! Mario!” are heard from offstage, and by then we are completely beguiled, awaiting the “Te Deum” that ends Act I, as bone-shaking and brain-numbing as any rock concert."
