Tartuffe 2007

'Lake George Opera scores with a comic gem. Kirke Mechem's American opera Tartuffe is an ebullient and melodic masterpiece. The Lake George Opera production is blessed with a uniformly superb cast, artful direction and bravado conducting. LGO Artistic Director Curtis Tucker has the difficult music completely in hand, drawing bravado playing from the orchestra and catching the mercurial rhythms and fluctuating moods of the piece with unerring precision leavened by seeming abandon. The composer was in the audience on opening night and said that of the more than 100 performances of his opera he has seen, this was the best.'

- Doug de Lisle of The Record

'With all its buffoonery, LGO's Tartuffe leaves'em laughing. [It] was wacky and witty and wonderfully well-acted. Nine wonderful singers comprised the cast for this production, and their acting abilities are every bit as good as their voices. Curtis Tucker could barley be glimpsed leading the orchestra seated behind the set, yet due to his skill, the ensemble managed the perfect entries and accents that were essential to the timing on stage.'

- Judith White of The Saratogian

'Lake George Opera's Tartuffe catches the fancy of audience. Kirke Mechem's [opera] may have been an unknown quantity to the near-capacity crowd, but by the end of the first act, the opera's clever libretto, which was sung in English, the music's often beautiful lyricism and the production's lively acting and strong singing started to bubble interest. By the end of the second act, people expressed appreciation for how well Mechem had caught the flavor of Moliere's play of the same name. The singers were all strong and up to the task of singing long streams of dialogue. Their acting too, was merry with director Nelson Sheeley's expert blocking, they interacted convincingly and expertly. The 32-piece orchestra under Curt Tucker's expert direction was bouncy, precise, vibrant and evocative.'

- Geraldine Freedman of The Daily Gazette