“Peter Strummer, as the aged Don who would marry to spite Ernesto, his rebellious heir and nephew, did as much as anyone could with bad-toupee and aching-back sight gags. Some clever makeup gave him a jowly, baggy-eyed, world-weary face he could work with. The Don has a lot of spoken dialogue, much of it in soliloquies and letter-reading, and Strummer was brilliant with that. His phrasing and body language made the meaning clear even through the Italian. Even in the forte-fortissimo first act, the singers displayed consistently attractive voices. Strummer, Johnson, tenor Bradley Williams (Ernesto) and baritone Mel Ulrich (Malatesta) held pitch, projected and phrased nicely throughout the evening. Pleasure was to be had in their singing.”