“David Cangelosi has appeared as Mime in all the 2008 and 2011 performances of the Zambello “Rheingold” as well as being cast in the three 2018 “Rings”. Cangelosi performs the role of Mime, brilliantly (and) provides a rich mine of emotions and behaviors…
“Cangelosi’s Mime was something of a tour de force. His diction was impeccable, his characterful tenor bright and forward, creating a highly believable character.”
“The Mime of American tenor David Cangelosi is slinking, garrulous and bubbling over with deceit — just perfect.”
“David Cangelosi’s Mime was pathetic and despicable, a cringing coward who hid, trembling, behind his own apron when he discovered Wotan’s identity. Cangelosi threw himself into the part with infectious glee, dancing and turning cartwheels when he thought his schemes were succeeding. Conversational delivery of his text and bone-dry low notes made for an unusual, expressive sound.”
“Tenor David Cangelosi (as Mime)…sang with more suppleness and precision than many have done in this role.”
“David Cangelosi fashioned an animated and conniving Mime who was strangely likeable. Mime certainly got some sympathy when Siegfried waterboarded him to force him to reveal something about Siegfried’s parentage, and that didn’t stop Cangelosi’s Mime from executing joyful cartwheels in expectation of getting the ring.”
“The re-telling of past events takes up a lot of time in (Siegfried) and can often seem to drag along, but in this performance the combination of engaging and lively singers…kept one’s attention throughout the evening. There were many extended one-to-one interactions, each one captivating: Siegfried with Mime (played with great physical dexterity by tenor David Cangelosi).”
“The best scene in this opera, possibly the best scene from the Cycle, happens just after Siegfried has defeated Fafner. David Cangelosi, as Mime, is fantastic in this scene. Every time he says something that comes out in words that reveal his true thoughts, his reaction is fabulous. It made me sad to see the character go.”
“The Mime of David Cangelosi, who really sings the part without a hint of caricature or whining.”
“David Cangelosi’s ‘Mime’ continues to be a centerpiece to the whole evening.”
“Tenor David Cangelosi (as Mime), in a performance of brilliance and integrity.”
“Tenor David Cangelosi was a lively Mime. His exuberant physical performance included dances & cartwheels, & his singing was expressive & fluent.”
“The superb character tenor David Cangelosi: Mime’s comic antics came naturally to Cangelosi, but he also showed more complicated shadings, as in his touching narrative of Sieglinde’s death, or his desperate desire to avenge himself in his confrontation with Alberich. Zambello showed him brewing the potion downstage, on the same level as Siegfried’s forging work, and the pair came off as more equally matched than usual in the first act.”
“What could have been and has often in earlier productions been a very slow first act, starting with Mime and Siegfried… was not the usual boring blah blah blah. Instead director Francesca Zambello has made even this act filled with action. David Cangelosi’s Mime is wonderful, especially as he dances and does cartwheels while deriding the others.”
“Tenor David Cangelosi was a lively Mime, vocally and dramatically, proving an entertaining irritant to the growing, impatient Siegfried.”
“Every bit Brenna’s (Siegfried’s) equal as an actor and slightly more penetrating as a singer was David Cangelosi in the role of Mime, Siegfried’s selfish caretaker. Residing in a trailer park, Cangelosi embraced his character with enthusiasm and good humor. Wagner frequently dramatizes Mime’s wretchedness by accompanying him discreetly, and Cangelosi took full advantage, providing an intense but soft sound, which made the dramatic irony of his whispered confessions to the audience fully believable. He even showed a sensitive, lyrical side in the few moments Wagner allowed it.”
“American tenor David Cangelosi reprised his performance from the SFO 2011 “Ring” as the avaricious Mime in “Siegfried” and “Das Rheingold.” Mime has become a signature role for Cangelosi, distinguished by his remarkably subtle nastiness.”
“Mime’s role during the first two acts is also gigantic, and David Cangelosi is superb. This is also a three-dimensional portrait that avoids caricature and presents the dwarf as something more than pitch black and evil. In many ways Mime is a more complicated, more human character than Siegfried and Cangelosi manages to make him believable – even without the visual impact that in the theatre can strengthen the impression.”
“The San Francisco “Ring”…several outstanding cast members…included tenor Stefan Margita, an incisive and dynamic Loge, and tenor David Cangelosi, whose Mime was a splendid amalgam of creepiness and acrobatic grace.”
“American tenor David Cangelosi, as Zambello’s creepy hobo Mime, succeeded in making the first two acts of Siegfried high points of the entire cycle.”
“Throughout the Ring David Cangelosi’s Mime was particularly creepy and unctuous, but in Siegfried, he almost managed to make Mime convincingly pathetic. He has a great character tenor sound and acts well.”
“The remarkable David Cangelosi dominates the show to such an extent that the opera should be renamed Mime. Dressed in shabby outfit and knit cap, Cangelosi inhabits the role completely, singing robustly, creepy and wheedling in his faux solicitousness for Siegfried and joyfully doing cartwheels in anticipation of his gaining the gold and world dominion.”
“In Siegfried, David Cangelosi as Mime became the second character tenor in this cycle to emerge as the dominant voice in one of the segments. (The other was Stefan Margita as Loge in Rheingold.) Cangelosi’s knack for finding the right tone for every phrase in every scene paid dividends – whether he was wheedling Siegfried into doing his bidding or jousting with Wotan. In sound and balance he was perfect, and his nervous energy made the character palpable.”
“The dwarf Mime (brilliantly sung and acted by David Cangelosi, possibly the greatest Mime ever) is living with his ‘adopted son’, Siegfried, in the shell of a small trailer.”…”Nobody has ever been more effective or as amusing than David Cangelosi as Mime; he made every minute of this often annoying role a total pleasure.”
“San Francisco supplies potent dramatic and vocal performances by Stefan Margita (Loge),…and David Cangelosi (Mime).”
“The strongest voices were often the villains and schemers, rather than the gods and heroes… As Mime, the wheedling dwarf with futile dreams of capturing the ring, tenor David Cangelosi dominated the first act of ‘Siegfried’.”
“In fact, the strongest male singer over the weekend was David Cangelosi, an athletic and funny Mime.”
“In this ‘Siegfried’,…Mime (the tenor David Cangelosi, who used snide vocal colorings to convey the character’s conniving nature) has raised his charge in a broken-down trailer on the edge of a forest.”
“David Cangelosi, wonderfully oily and athletic as the conniving dwarf Mime.”
“The role of Mime is the second longest in “Siegfried” and is, indeed, a longer role than several of the most famous lead tenor roles in opera. It is unquestionably David Cangelosi’s signature role (see my interview at Opera, Drama and the Character Tenor: An Interview with David Cangelosi) and he dispatched it vocally with distinction. But it was not just his singing and acting that made his performance so memorable. He also proved to be an astonishing athlete, doing cartwheels and somersaults (including a gymnastic move on top of the trailer).”
“Enter Mime, played by David Cangelosi…and until he meets his death in the second act, Cangelosi sings the hell out of the part and gives us a Mime I for one had never thought of before–cunning, interesting, robust, intelligent, even somewhat sympathetic. He owns the stage during the first act in much the same way Arnold Bezuyen’s Loge did during the initial performances of ‘Rheingold’ in Achim Freyer’s LA Ring. In other words, it’s an unexpected focus that actually works, because while traditionally we tend to view Mime as a pawn to the larger story–until he’s knocked off two hours later–he’s actually the prime mover of the story and Zambello’s production brings that to the fore.”