Marcio Bezerra
Special to the Daily News
Palm Beach Opera’s inaugural open-air festival at the South Florida Fairgrounds came to its conclusion Saturday with a visceral performance of Ruggero Leoncavallo s ever-popular Pagliacci.
Premiered in 1892, the short opera, usually coupled with Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, benefited by being performed alone, thanks especially to the masterful stage direction by James Robinson.
Indeed, despite the bare-bones sets and the required social distancing among singers, their convincing acting kept the audience on their seats edges throughout the evening.
Besides good acting, lyricism was at the forefront of Saturday’s performance, which featured exquisite singing by the distinguished cast.