When Gioachino Rossini Barber of Seville premiered in 1816, it was one of the most disastrous opening nights in operatic history. The 24-year-old upstart composer had staged the same Beaumarchais story as the revered Giovanni Paisiello in an established opera of the same name and Paisiello made his followers whistle and boo throughout the premiere. Rossini’s debut had other problems, including late vocalist replacements, a Basilio who suffered from a persistent nosebleed, and an intruding feline who snaked around the stage with incessant meowing.

Yet it was by Rossini Barber of Seville it would quickly gain popularity and plunge Paisiello’s work into obscurity. At Rossini’s Hairdresser served as a pivotal moment in the evolution of opera buffa from mundane and predictable to something exciting and unexpected. The hilarity of librettist Cesar Strebini’s cartoonish subjects and vibrant musical language codified Rossini as the quintessential composer of Italian comic opera after the work’s second performance. His Hairdresser boasts a slew of lyrical favorites that continue to dominate the canon today.

Dallas Opera The Barber of Sevillewhich opened Saturday night at the Winspear Opera House, was in the purest tradition, well sung, abundantly wacky and unyielding in its fantasy.

The main achievement of this production is its powerful cast and the musical skill of the TDO Orchestra, conducted by Lina Gonzalez-Granados, an alumnus of the Hart Institute for Women Conductors. There’s room for a bit of polish, but the main ensemble and orchestra reach a palpable level of comedic energy from the curtain that never let up.

Mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta and tenor Alasdair Kent create an endearingly awkward dynamic as Rosina and Count Almaviva, our heroic lovers at the center of the narrative.

Giunta’s expressive depth and roundness of tone contrast lovingly with Kent’s more silvery cadence. His interpretation of Rosina’s cavatina, “Una voce poco fa”, was sparkling with vitality and musical humor. The mezzo’s vocal prowess was evident in her effortlessly supple and decorative ornamentation, and she was amusing in her pantomime of a fake foot injury in Act II.

Kent’s lyrical tone was graceful and light, up to the tasks demanded by the score. Its intoxicating blending near the top of the register gave Almaviva’s many high Cs a youthful and welcome character, as in the opening aria, “Ecce ridente in cielo”. Tender and supple, the amorous serenade “Se il mio nome saper voi bramate” – where he first yearns for Rosina – was lovingly delivered on the breath, which paired well with minimal guitar accompaniment. Kent has also shown versatility, both vocally and in his acting, as the character humorously transitions through a number of disguises. As a drunken soldier he was brash and toned, and as prickly music instructor Alonso, Kent used nasal placement that was just the right amount of rasp.

The star of this production is baritone Lucas Meachem in the beloved role of Figaro, the title Barbier. Emerging from the public into the house with his entry tune “Largo al factotum”, Meachem overwhelms the space with charm and ability. His model is precise and clear, and as an actor, his comedic timing is always on point. He plays with the use of registers to engage even further with Rossini’s musical humor in a way that is just coy and therefore infectious and effective. Meachem also managed to blend seamlessly with the other principals, providing a rich rumble that underpinned duets and ensembles.

Bass-baritone Valeriano Lanchas as the opera’s main antagonist – the lustful, galloping Doctor Bartolo – was at times a bit clumsy in vocal delivery, especially in crackling passages where he was almost inaudible. However, as a stage presence and outsmarting the rest of the cast, Lanchas deserves credit for his acting ability.

Adam Lau was an authoritarian Don Basilio. Its air “La calunnia è un venticello” requires a virtuoso crescendo, which the bass manages with fine attention. Soprano Courtney Maina was a surprisingly powerful presence as Berta, Bartolo’s maid. She stood out perfectly in big ensemble numbers as one of only two female voices in the mix.

The preparation of the chorus by Alexander Rom proved effective against a powerful cast of singers. The “chaos without causality” – a term coined by Viennese journalist Karl Kraus to describe the operetta – of the Act I finale is made to stimulate diversions and drama.

This production, from Minnesota Opera and director Tara Faircloth in her TDO debut, combines Allen Moyer’s opulent set design and James Scott’s elegant period costumes with an almost vaudevillian staging, the juxtaposition of which created a hearty visual feast for opera lovers.

Clever lighting design by Thomas C. Hase made the storm scene quite compelling, and David Zimmerman’s wig and makeup design added an appropriate amount of ham to the scene.

The Dallas Opera’s production highlights the score’s witty sophistication, if a bit broad at times. Still, Saturday night audiences undoubtedly enjoyed Rossini’s enduring comedy, as evidenced by a loud and prolonged standing ovation at the end of the evening.

Dallas Opera Barber of Seville until March 27. dallasopera.org

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