Saucy, silly, and beautifully sung
The Marriage of Figaro is an opera that is perfectly constructed to delight Gen Z reality TV junkies (myself included). First off, it’s technically a sequel (to the Barber of Seville), and we love a franchise. More importantly, everyone in the play is either cheating on their partner, suspected of cheating on their partner, dressing up as someone else to pretend to cheat on their partner, or generally getting up to mischief in a delightful way.
It’s one of the most popular operas of all time and has one of Mozart’s most iconic scores, and the Scottish Opera’s production more than does it justice. It’s a revival of their 2010 production with an English translation by Amanda Holden (not the TV personality), with the full lush orchestra and chorus that washes over you with beautiful sound.
Each of the main cast were so enjoyable to watch that it is hard to choose highlights, when all could balance stunning vocals with slapstick comedy with ease. A personal favourite was Simone McIntosh playing the young wannabe Casanova, Cherubino, in a way I can only describe as pathetically horny, delighting the audience with her first act aria ‘Non so più cosa son, cosa faccio’. Alexandra Lowe (playing the Countess) and Ava Dodd (as Susanna) both had incredible soprano voices that came together beautifully whenever they sang together, especially in their act 3 duet.
The leading man himself, Edward Jowle as Figaro, had one of the standout moments of the show in act 4, singing ‘Tutto e disposto’ – a warning to men to watch out for their philandering women. The house lights rose and he began to address the men in the audience directly, filling the room with laughter.
The production has many of these cheeky moments, director Sir Thomas Allen clearly delighting in a bit of saucy physical comedy. He gives even the smallest parts moments to shine (bumbling Antonio falling out of the Countess’ window springs to mind), adding depth beyond the score. The set design by Simon Higlett is simple and effective – the colour palette was beautiful, the sets moved sleekly, and every prop was used to maximum effect.
If you are new to opera, you could not do better than to go see Marriage of Figaro. The English translation is witty and clever, the performances are great, you will doubtless recognise some of Mozart’s most famous tunes – and as I heard one patron say as I left the theatre “I’ve been so warm and cosy for three hours, I feel like a sausage roll”. Sounds like an ideal night to me!