Puccini at his best .. one of the best operas ever written Š an emotional experience Š unforgettable vocal and dramatic power &045; the superlatives bubble forth from the enthusiastic stars and stage director of Giacomo Puccini’s &uot;Tosca,&uot; the final production of the 2005 Natchez Festival of Music, which will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday at Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center.

The familiar arias are beautiful classics; and the drama that plays out on stage makes everyday life look simple, said Bill Fabris, stage director, who relishes the opportunity to shape the performance of an opera of such power.

Jennifer Griffin is in the title role of Tosca; Shouvik Mondle is Baron Scarpia, chief of the Roman police. Both actor-singers love the challenges of their roles, they said.

&uot;’Tosca’ is about the corruption of power, about injustice and how people’s lives are affected by it,&uot; Griffin said. &uot;It also is about people who have the courage to stand up against that power.&uot;

Mondle’s character, Scarpia, is so evil that he has had to use all the acting techniques learned through the years to get into the role. &uot;It took me a while to get into that,&uot; Mondle said. &uot;But the music is so unbelievable. It propels you into the role. The first chords of the music are Scarpia’s theme.&uot;

Griffin, a native of Memphis, Tenn., said her character, Tosca, is complex and deep. &uot;She is petty and coy in the first act, in love in the second act and makes the ultimate sacrifice in the third act,&uot; she said. &uot;You run the gamut. It is very rewarding.&uot;

Shouvik said &uot;Tosca&uot; is a good opera for someone who never has experienced opera. &uot;If people want to start out with opera, this is a good one to see. A teenager will not be bored by seeing it.&uot;

The opera is set in Rome in 1800. Floria Tosca, a famous singer, is beloved by the painter Mario Cavaradossi and desired by Baron Scarpia, evil chief of the Roman police.

Scarpia resorts to evil tricks to try to separate Tosca and Cavaradossi and ultimately arrests and tortures the artist. Tosca offers herself to Scarpia in return for Cavaradossi’s release. The plot continues and rises to a dramatic crescendo as Tosca stabs the lecherous Scarpia, watches a mock execution of her love that turns out to be real and, finally, in despair leaps over the parapet to her death.

Fabris was an actor long before he became a director, having started in acting and singing in Broadway shows. After an opportunity to become a stage manager for a production, he decided a role off the stage and out of the spotlights suited him well.

&uot;I like to see the audience react to the show and know I had something to do with how they enjoy it,&uot; Fabris said. &uot;I like that much more than taking a bow on stage. I don’t miss performing at all.&uot;

Also a choreographer, Fabris works regularly with regional opera companies. He recently recreated Jerome Robinson’s &uot;Fiddler on the Roof&uot; for Chautauqua Opera.

David Blackburn, director of the Natchez festival, said Fabris comes to Natchez with excellent credentials and &uot;knows exactly what he wants.&uot;

Mondle, a native of Calcutta, India, studied Indian classical music as a child and became more interested in musical theater as a teenager. &uot;Then a teacher said to me, ‘you have a big voice,’&uot; he said. He followed the teacher’s advice that he should study classical voice.

With a scholarship, he attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and graduated with honors in vocal performance. &uot;I had a lot of opportunities to do leading roles there,&uot; he said. &uot;It’s been an amazing journey.&uot;

He has worked with many regional opera companies and also likes to perform on the concert stage. Recently he made his Carnegie Hall debut.

&uot;Tosca&uot; will be his Natchez debut, he said. And he has come to enjoy what Natchez has to offer. &uot;This is a glorious place,&uot; he said. &uot;And the volunteers are phenomenal.&uot;

Griffin will be remembered for her role as Susannah at the Natchez festival. Returning to Natchez seemed natural to her, as it is a place she remembers well from earlier days when she would visit with her family from Memphis.

She grew up singing, she said. &uot;First there was church and then school, and of course in Memphis there was always the blues music,&uot; she said. &uot;By the time I was in high school, there was a teacher who thought I could do opera.&uot;

She entered Indiana University and did just that. &uot;I had not even seen an opera before college,&uot; she said.

In 2003, she performed with New York Opera Forum and performed a solo recital of &uot;Turandot&uot; excerpts and Wagner and Strauss arias. She also released her first album. She has performed in &uot;La Boheme&uot; as Mimi for the New York City Opera National Company in addition to other engagements.