"The conflicted heroine Magda gets the opera’s best arias and Kathryn Grumley had the hall-filling spinto voice to float Puccini’s phrases with ardor as well as subtlety. ‘Che il bel sogno di Doretta’ was spun as one long melodic reverie and ‘Ore dolci e divine’(Magda’s recollection of her first romance) was sung with just the right touch of lilting enchantment. Dramatically, Grumley dominated the stage, owning every scene from the rise of the curtain. She impressively rose to Magda’s rejection of the infatuated Ruggero with full, rich tones and power at the top range.
This gifted soprano, who has sung secondary parts with regional companies, clearly has the vocal and dramatic goods to handle leading roles."