Strong singing, inventive set boost ‘Italian Girl in Algiers’

The story - the shipwrecked Isabella conniving her and her beloved Lindoro (Bradley Williams) out of Mustapha’s clutches - could offer opportunity for dark shadows, particularly when updating the East-West friction into a contemporary setting. But Minter seemed content to limit the modernization to costumes (Mustapha as Gordon Gekko in Arab headdress) and props.

Language was a problem. BMO presented the opera in English, which, at best, requires some work to bubble and froth the way Italian does naturally. The translation, however, was prosaic and literal, attaining neither Gilbert-like density of wit nor the original’s twittering fleetness, slowing the tempo and complicating the singers’ task.

There was, still, a fair amount to like about the production. Stephen Dobay’s pop-up-book Persian set and Karen Perlow’s pastel-box lighting kept the eyes entertained. And the singing ranged from quite good to very good indeed. Eddy’s mezzo-soprano was terrific, plenty of power and polish, gunmetal low notes, percolating roulades. As Mustapha, Downs was velvety-smooth, dark-hued, stylish, especially good in recitative and more lyrical intimidation. Williams’s singing tended toward a kind of one-size-fits-all tenor - everything slotted into the same space - but was flexible and assured.