By Allison Dixon
Daily Bruin Contributor

At first Charles Francois Gounod's "Faust," may seem like a love story -- two men in love with the beautiful Marguerite, one promising to look after her in her brother's absence, the other promising his immortal soul to the devil for the chance to win her heart.

If only someone could have warned Faust that dealing with the devil never pays.

Los Angeles Opera remounts this classic story of "Faust," now running at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion through Feb. 5, focusing on the events that unfold as a result of the title character's action. The story becomes not a love story, but turns out to be a tale about the consequences of sacrificing eternity to find passion.

The new production proves to be a worthwhile venture. The universal themes, renowned singers, powerful music and the spare-no-expense sets all contribute to L.A. Opera's memorable production.

The L.A. Opera is famous for attracting talent from all around the world. This production is no exception - the performers in this all-star cast throw all of their energy into their roles.

While it is hard to imagine a story in which your favorite character is the devil, Samuel Ramey's portrayal of Mephistopheles is reason alone to see this production. UCLA professor and L.A. Opera's head of music, William Vendice has described Ramey as, "the most important bass-baritone in the world today."

Indeed, with his booming voice coupled with great acting, Ramey makes Mephistopheles a complex character. Ramey, who has played the role of Mephistopholes over 200 times, is the embodiment of evil, yet still has a seemingly caring side as well as a sense of humor.

Also with experience in his role, is Marcello Giordani who plays Faust with both a beautiful voice and a great deal of emotion. His memorable performance is especially touching in the beginning as he admires Marguerite from a distance and in the latter half of the opera, as he is remorseful for the pain he has brought to so many.

Leontina Vaduva, who sings the role of Marguerite, makes her debut in the role, though you'd never know she was a neophyte. Her singing is flawless and she portrays the love-struck, innocent girl with passion.

Her change from being well-loved by the townspeople to being completely ostracized because of her relationship with Faust, is very impressive. She takes the audience with her as she navigates a broad range of emotions over the course of the opera.

Other supporting characters such as Valentin, Marguerite's brother, played by Malcolm MacKenzie and Valentin's friend Siebel (mezzo-soprano Megan Dey Toth) round out the talented cast. Contributing emotion and passion to their roles, the two bring an emotional depth to their roles.

In addition to the talented and experienced cast, director Christopher Harlan is largely responsible for the portrayed passion of these characters. Harlan and choreographer Peggy Hickey have both brought excellent ideas for the visual stage aspects of "Faust."

Franco Colavecchia, set designer, created the perfect backdrops to compliment Harlan and Hickey's direction. Colavecchia innovatively created a giant building facade that remained throughout the performance. Changes were made to panels along the back wall to give the impression of indoors or outdoors.

One of the most stunning scenes took place in Marguerite's moonlit garden. A garden terrace was moved onstage and giant tree branches hung from above, completing the outdoor effect and transporting the audiences to the romantic German garden.

However, while "Faust" is aesthetically pleasing, the opera is really about the music.

Conductor Philippe Auguin makes his American debut, bringing out the best of the orchestra to create intensely beautiful music throughout the nearly four-hour production.

The orchestra, players and chorus all kept up a consistent energy throughout the entire performance - a daunting task considering the nearly four-hour length. The production would have run even longer if Harlan had included the "Walpurgis Night" scene.

The delightful "Walpurgis" scene is usually featured second to last in "Faust" productions. It is an important transitional scene, yet was cut in the interest of brevity. Audiences are still able to follow what is happening through the lyrics.

Even with the omission of the Walpurgis scene, this production is "Faust" the way it should be seen - a passionate tale from beginning to end, sung by a stellar cast, accompanied by great music.