Opera News reviews the Florentine Opera Company’s world premiere recording of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players:
“[Keith] Phares shows impressive control over his falsetto, and switches seamlessly between registers. … When Peg finally declares her feelings for Kynaston, it’s a powerful outpouring of feeling, kicking the proceedings to a higher level. It’s the centerpiece passage of the opera, and splendidly sung by [Kate] Royal… The supporting cast is consistently strong, including Alexander Dobson as Betterton, the theater manager, who is a good match for Phares in their scenes together; Vale Rideout as George Villiers, Kynaston’s erstwhile lover, who delivers a powerfully emotional farewell aria … and Chad Shelton, whose vibrant tenor is well suited for King Charles II’s sweeping declamations. … Floyd varies his predominantly conservative score with streaks of dissonance, skillfully evoking such varying menaces as homophobia, artistic repression and romantic frustration, not to mention the tense Othello–Desdemona relationship. William Boggs leads the estimable Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in a colorful and meticulous performance”
—Joshua Rosenblum, Opera News