David Bachman Mezzo-soprano Karin Mushegain, left, and bass-baritone Charles Unice in Pittsburgh Opera Center's "Xerxes." Click photo for larger image.

In the wrong hands and voices, baroque opera may emerge as a string of repetitious arias. Pittsburgh Opera Center's "Xerxes," which opened Saturday at the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts Theater, Downtown, should dispel any fears in that direction. As staged by Eric Einhorn in the lively English translation of Stephen Wadsworth (with projected supertitles as well) it is a funny, delightful show that need make no apologies for being 268 years old.

This was Handel's only comic opera, and it opens with one of his all-time hit tunes, the hero's praise of a shade tree, better known as Handel's Largo.

Once the action gets going, the opera tells of a king who temporarily falls in love with his brother's fiancee, abandoning his own betrothed, and allowing the heroine's evil sister to hatch a series of lies to snag the handsome brother for herself. If that sounds convoluted, it is -- when told in the opera's original setting of Persia, 500 B.C.E. Einhorn has remedied that by updating the production to an American speakeasy during Prohibition. King Xerxes is a Mafia boss, the sought-after Romilda a flapper and star of the club run by Xerxes' brother Arsamene -- a politician trying to distance himself from the mob. On an excellent set by Antje Ellermann, Einhorn manages to make all this lucid and hilarious.

Strongly supported by Carnegie Mellon instrumentalists conducted by Gary Thor Wedow, the Opera Center singers do well with Handel's florid fioritura and long-drawn legato lines. They assume the elusive baroque style with varying degrees of confidence, but bring accomplished acting skills plus a splendid ensemble spirit that make the music part of the action rather than an element in isolation.

The roles of Xerxes and Arsamene -- originally for castrati -- are taken respectively by mezzo-soprano Jennifer Holloway and guest countertenor Jason Abrams. After a pallid "Largo," Holloway sang with depth and took on the male role with complete conviction -- a big asset for a mezzo -- thanks in part to Nicole Pagano's superb wigs and make-up, but also to her own mastery of gesture and detail. Abrams performed with a virtuosity and naturalness that allowed him to dominate every scene in which he appeared. As Romilda, the object of both their affections, Tammy Tyburczy overrode some technical unevenness with a glamorous persona that quite lit up the stage.

Outstanding as the bad girl Atalanta was NaGuanda Nobles, a diminutive presence with a sizable voice and riveting persona to match. Riveting in a different way was Charles Unice, playing the buffo servant Elviro with flair, apparently enjoying his hilarious drag scenes as much as did the full house out front. Craig Verm had less to do as the father/bartender Ariodate, but he used his pleasant pointed baritone with polish and proficiency.

"Xerxes" will be repeated at CAPA at 7 p.m. Wednesday and at 2 p.m. Sunday.