A midsummer heat wave and threats of severe weather outside were no match for a fully engaging performance of Gioachino Rossini’s “Cinderella (La Cenerentola)” by Opera Maine on Thursday night. Merrill Auditorium came alive to the sounds of classic Italian opera featuring the vocal flourishes of the early 19th-century ornamental style mixed with touches of romance and a large dose of broad comedy.

In this telling, the classic story of a young girl’s rise from downtrodden housemaid to princess of the realm takes a few minor turns away from the well-known glass slipper and fairy godmother version. But Director Dona D. Vaughn and a talented company brought out most of the essential elements of the story while reconfirming Rossini’s brilliance.

An almost saintly Cinderella, who helps the poor and forgives those who abuse and exploit her, somehow achieves a romantic dream out of spiteful family intrigues and unexpected interventions. Her clownish but mean stepfather and two bratty stepsisters challenge but do not defeat the young woman, notably defined by her “simplicity” as well as her “innocence and goodness,” as she gains the attention of the prince of Salerno after a search conducted by his loyal men yields some surprises.

Mezzo-soprano Hongni Wu made for a feisty Cinderella and sang with strength but also sensitivity as her character first connects with the prince (who’s in disguise as a servant) in an early duet. Tenor Jack Swanson, as the smitten noble, likewise excelled in these more subtle moments when Rossini turned down the ubiquitous vocal pyrotechnics within the opera just a notch (perhaps portending a new era for the form).

Physical and vocal comedy (the latter with the help of supertitles translating from the Italian) abound in the characters of Don Magnifico, the blustery stepfather who seeks to promote his squabbling daughters, Clorinda and Tisbe, to royal status.

Bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi, soprano Katherine Henly, and mezzo-soprano Rachel Barg all combined fine voices with a good feel for where the laughs lie in these roles, keeping the audience fully immersed and often laughing on opening night of the show’s two-performance run.

A duet between Carlizzi and baritone Robert Mellon in the role of the valet pretending to be the prince, augmented by some physical comedy involving a chair, was a particular treat as were the rapid-fire vocalizations of Swanson with Mellon.

The sonorous bass of William Guanbo Su added weight in the role of the prince’s tutor, who seems more on top of the action than the principals, who are too often ensnared in a “tangled web” in their pursuit of the “riches of love.”

Israel Gursky conducted the unseen orchestra in the pit whose music further enhanced the breadth of emotionality within this early gem of an opera. An onstage chorus of men, under the leadership of Virgil Bozeman, marched on and off stage at various intervals in support of the action, even getting in on it in one very wacky scene.

Colorful costumes by Millie Hiibel and sets and lighting by Christopher Akerlind helped keep this two-and-a-half-hour production of a Rossini classic at a highly entertaining level throughout.

Steve Feeney is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.

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