Twenty years ago, director Amy Trompetter teamed up with the Brooklyn Opera Society and Arts at St. Ann's for a staging of Rossini's The Barber of Seville using armies of giant puppets. It was billed as the first American puppet opera. This week, she is marking the anniversary of that production at St. Ann's Warehouse, a black-box theater in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge.

No fewer than fifty papier mâché creations bring Rossini’s antic opera to life while a spirited troupe of young singers perform near the wings. Adding a further touch of irreverence to the score is the New York-based contemporary music group Absolute Ensemble, conducted by Kristjan Jarvi.

Early reviews suggest that the production is not about precision or concern for authentic Rossini style. Indeed, Absolute has thoroughly modernized the score with touches of flamenco and synthesizer-accompanied recitatives. But the sheer skill and inventiveness of the staging–-the puppets range from tiny to life-size–-gives this age-old opera a much-welcomed revival.