Pure Comedy: Opera Talks Presenter Stephan Bonfield on The Barber of Seville
If you've ever stopped by the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium's First Balcony Lobby before one of our shows, you likely recognize Stephan Bonfield, Calgary native and long-time presenter at our Opera Talks. (Free to attend!) An arts critic, examiner with the Royal Conservatory of Music, and Assistant Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience and Statistics at both Providence and Booth Universities, Bonfield has a history of filling up the Lobby with opera-goers, eager to pique their curiosity and enhance their show experience with his one-of-a-kind insight.
As The Barber of Seville nears its opening night, we shine some spotlight on Bonfield himself: in our exclusive interview, the Opera Talks presenter teases what's fascinating about Rossini's most iconic comedy.
Why is The Barber of Seville still such a staple of the opera stage?
Stephan Bonfield: "Barber keeps getting produced because Rossini understood his audience so well. They liked their comedy, but Rossini elevated it to a new level of sophistication and wit. Calgary loves its comedy and it knows good comedy when it sees it. That's why Barber keeps getting done here over and over again. There are many opera companies that put on a more serious Barber — less comedy and more commentary — but those audiences don't laugh nearly as much as we do. I think we recognize something of those characters on stage in ourselves, and to laugh heartily at them is to enjoy a good laugh at ourselves."
Does The Barber of Seville have "stock" characters, or real characters?
SB: "Stock characters are grounded in something of the real. It's very hard to ply them both apart. One big difference is that stock characters are exaggerations of what we find in real life. That's why they make it to the stage, because the stage is always an amplification of the things that matter most to us in our own lives."
What do you think is a common misconception about The Barber of Seville?
SB: "One misconception about the show is that it's an easy story with some easy listening music, and so we don't need to take it too seriously. But what I would like people to take away from the show is that it is a masterpiece with beautiful music that requires brilliant singing throughout. If there were a way to describe The Barber of Seville in as few words as possible, it would be that it is "the finest pure comedy ever written."
The Barber of Seville is onstage at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium APR 18–24 — and you can hear Stephan Bonfield's Opera Talks starting 1hr before showtime. Get tickets and more info here.
