Figaro on a Segway?

It may sound crazy, but it had a kind of dramatic logic in Hawaii Opera Theatre's production of Rossini's "Barber of Seville."

Director Lawrence Edelson built his concept around Europe's "commedia dell' arte" tradition, an improvised comic theater using stock characters. His "Director's Notes" article in the program offered both insight into his interpretation and a primer on "commedia dell' arte" for anyone unfamiliar with the tradition.

Within that general framework, Edelson and the performers borrowed pages from American comic traditions as well, their antics recalling Charlie Chaplin, Keystone Cops, Marx brothers, and (literally) slapstick.

Characters performed in commedia's fantastical masks and costumes as designed by Helen E. Rodgers, creating an impact that was simultaneously old and new, European and American.

Staging was lively — everyone was clearly having fun — and faltered only in the extended, long, drawn-out, sectional, static, protracted finale of Act I. The finale allows everyone time to savor the point of greatest tension, but presents directing challenges.

Throughout, visual gags abounded: giant hammers, dog dishes, trick ladders, harnesses, and, of course, the Segway scooter. Primed for comedy, the audience laughed easily and often; the production was a perfect introduction for opera first-timers of all ages.

Designer Peter Dean Beck created a charming realistic set with multiple entries to accommodate the bustle and used lighting to punctuate the text — brighter for interaction, darker for asides — which occasionally became over-busy but generally worked well. His dramatic storm at the end of Act II was especially beautiful.

"Barber of Seville" requires a small cast in a complex plot, which means that every character counts.

The focus is not opera's usual tenor-soprano love affair, but a power match between baritone and mezzo-soprano: Figaro, the barber/matchmaker/handyman/factotum, and Rosina, the young woman who outwits everyone to get the husband she wants.

Stephen Powell as Figaro and Christine Abraham as Rosina were outstanding: excellent acting, excellent singing, with the vocal strength, flexibility, and timbres to suit their roles. Their duet in Act I, Scene 2 was pure delight.

For Count Almaviva, Rosina's love interest, Rossini created a florid, high tenor role: rich, aristocratic, but no match for Rosina or Figaro when it comes to practical matters. Zachary Stains' high tessitura and exceptionally forward placement suited the light, comical Count he portrayed so well.

Similarly, Jake Gardner's warm baritone melded so smoothly with his Dr. Bartolo character that it was easy to forget he was singing.

Stains lacked the technique for Rossini's florid passages, and Gardner struggled with his patter, but both flourished in lyrical passages.

Jamie Offenbach as Basilio and especially Dorothy Byrne as Berta were wonderful character actors, adding comic touches at every turn, and Patrick McNichols delivered an enjoyable Fiorello.

Throughout it all, the orchestra, under Conductor Jorg Pitschmann, was generally strong, but uneven.

There were delightful sections — the harpsichord and guitar parts being notable examples — but several of the ensembles were muddled. Tempos were sometimes rushed, other times effervescent. The balance occasionally ventured into heavy, covering the voices, but mostly flowed in easy tandem.

After the final curtain, what lingered was "Lo giurai, la vincero!" (I swear, I will conquer!): Rosina did, as we knew beforehand, but so did HOT's production.