The several-hundred people who defied fear-mongering forecasters Tuesday to see "The Marriage of Figaro" at UB's Center for the Arts sure got a nice reward. This was one excellent, spirited production. It's hard, sometimes, to predict the quality of traveling opera troupes like this one.

You can't locate reviews on the Internet, and news releases are usually vague. But though the Bulgarian Opera probably doesn't have money to burn, the company turned out an enchanting "Figaro." The singers were competent and engaging.

They could act well. They interacted hilariously with each other, and the comedy was sharp and on the mark. Costumes were beautiful, and the rococo scenery, while not extravagant, worked well.

Deep blue skies and the shadowy outlines of leafy trees gave us a much-needed taste of summer. As they say in "Cabaret," even the orchestra was beautiful! The musicians stumbled a few times, but it hardly mattered.

It added, even, to the sensation - increased by the snow outside - that we were really in the moment, that this experience was something precious and spontaneous. The troupe managed, admirably, to walk a delicate line. You want "Figaro" to be funny, but not too slapstick.

The music suggests that it has to have a bittersweet edge. The singers made their characters real and believable. A lot hinged on that.

Petya Tsoneva, filling the trousers role as the page boy Cherubino, did an exquisite job. Tall and lanky, Tsoneva was funny with her gruff, Peter Pan-like gestures. Her clear, expressive voice made her two famous, hormone-laden arias a delight.

As Susanna, Mariya Tsvetkova showed a lot of humor and stamina. She's on the stage almost constantly, and she played the role not only with competence but with apparent enjoyment. She was a little harsh on a few high notes, but her voice had flexibility, strength and a beguiling, irresistible sweetness.

Alexander Tekeliev made a fine Figaro. The hoop earring (perhaps a nod to another fine 18th century yarn, "Pirates of the Caribbean") was a nice touch. He and Susanna had good chemistry.

But he couldn't quite claim the voice that the Count (Vincenzo Vinci) had. Vinci had depth, resonance, and a brutish edge, which is highly desirable in this role. He was villainous and rather attractive at the same time.

It seems inevitable, in "Figaro," that the lustful Count dominates the drama. He's so out of bounds. It doesn't hurt either that librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, something of a womanizer himself, gives the Count all the good lines.

("Why do women stick pins in everything?" the Count wonders aloud at one point.) The production seemed to improve in quality as it went on.

The Countess (Nohoru Aomori) was good with her opening aria, "Porgi, amor," but did an exquisite job with the famous, more demanding "Dove sono." The last act, set in the garden at night, was utterly seamless and enchanting. Mozart made this act like the finale of a fireworks display, with magical melodies thrown at you one after another, each more beautiful than the last, with no pause, no recitatives.

All the singers were flying high by this time. Susanna's "Deh, vieni, non tardar" melted the heart. The crucial moment when the Count begs his wife's forgiveness was touching and nicely finessed.

The opera ended just as it should, with a lump in the throat. I'd welcome this company back anytime.