Billed as the Downton Abbey of opera but way more fun, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro continues to entertain today as it has done for centuries, at Arts Centre Melbourne until 28 November 2015.
Masters lusting over servants, servants outwitting their masters – Mozart’s comic masterpiece is a hilarious account of a household’s adventures over one crazy summer’s day. Figaro is marrying the servant Susanna, but not before the Count beds her first. Meanwhile Marcellina wants Figaro, and the Countess she just wants her husband back.
In a not-so-subtle dig to the aristocrats Mozart derided, the opera makes a hero of the underclass, especially the servant Susanna. Between the witty, fast-moving libretto and the melodic, charming music, it’s not hard to understand why The Marriage of Figaro is as entertaining today as it was when it debuted in Vienna 1786.
Conducted by the brilliant Anthony Legge, The Marriage of Figaro is the ultimate ensemble opera, featuring a cast of gifted singers including Jane Ede, Taryn Fiebig, Andrew Jones and Shane Lowrencev.
“Susanna is the servant with more brains than everyone else put together,” says Taryn Fiebig – who reprises her favourite role. “She’s the puppeteer, manipulating everything to get herself out of a bind. She manages to save her job, keep her husband, fix her boss’s marriage, get Marcellina off her tail and still be a lovely person!”
Dramatically, it’s the opera with everything: lovers and liaisons, disguises and tricks, lust and laughter. Visually, the stunning period costumes and lush set designs are true to their era in every minute detail thanks to Tony Award-winning designer Jenny Tiramani whose long list of credits include Director of Theatre Design at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London.
In the second of his three-year Mozart trilogy for Opera Australia, David McVicar is considered the most successful opera director in the world today. After winning widespread acclaim for his Royal Opera House, Convent Garden production of The Marriage of Figaro, this new production for Opera Australia is highly anticipated, and not to be missed.
The Marriage of Figaro
State Theatre – Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne
Season continues to 28 November 2015
Bookings: 1300 182 183 or online at: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
For more information, visit: www.opera.org.au for details.
Image: Taryn Fiebig (Susanna) and Andrew Jones (Figaro) in Opera Australia’s The Marriage of Figaro – photo by Jeff Busby