Soprano Laura Claycomb embraces the title role with determined vigor. Any Lucia is judged by her « Mad Scene, » but audiences would do well to pay attention to Claycomb from the very outset. Her Lucia is no mere victim, but a young woman aware of how she’s being used and willing to fight. Vocally, she was in top form Friday night (March 13). Her « Regnava nel Silenzio » was haunting; her duets with Edgardo lovely.

The embellishments and coloratura flights of the Mad Scene did not merely impress vocally, but served the role as well, with Claycomb portraying Lucia as not completely gone, but just slipping over the edge of the abyss while seeking revenge. She also showed several times throughout the performance a remarkable ability to maintain both a purity of tone and full volume while lying flat on her back.

– Theodore P. Mahne, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
on March 14, 2015 at 4:12 PM, updated March 14, 2015 at 5:11 PM

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