The Marriage of Figaro: quick links
As well as having a hand in the French and American revolutions, French polymath, Pierre Beaumarchais penned a cheeky trilogy of plays centred on a character named Figaro: The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Guilty Mother. The first two were adapted into operas (by Rossini and Mozart respectively).
Mozart’s opera, based on the second story in the trilogy, actually preceded Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, and was written during a time when the nobility and elite did not have a self-deprecating sense of humour. Hence, the bawdy, irreverent plot of The Marriage of Figaro barely grazed past the censors and ruffled quite a few exotic feathers.
Marriage of Figaro: trite into sublime
These days, the story of Figaro, a valet, and his wife-to-be, Susanna, a maid and their escapades in the household of Count Almaviva seem trite. However, the combination of Mozart’s enduring music, a thoughtful production design and a troupe of extraordinary performers turns trite into sublime.
Opera Australia’s remounting of Sir David McVicar’s 2015 conceptualisation of The Marriage of Figaro retains much of McVicar’s acclaimed original work, while adding a few tweaks by revival director Andy Morton. These tweaks are mostly around characterisations.
What hasn’t changed is the marvellous set and costume design by Jenny Tiramani. She has clothed the servants in smart-looking turquoise costumes with gold-stripe detail. By not making them look too bland, Tiramani visually satisfies the opera’s intent of diminishing the class distance between the servants and the aristocracy.
Members of the count’s entourage are frequently dressed in black and become literally shadowy figures. The countess wears several gowns of restrained opulence, which are also donned by Susanna during later shenanigans. The dresses look equally appropriate on the countess and the maid.
Count Almaviva’s costumes are arguably the most striking, not least because baritone, Gordon Bintner cuts an imposing figure on stage. He has several costume changes ranging from a plain white nightgown to vivid yellow, red-striped hunting outfit, to an austere black ensemble.
The Marriage of Figaro: funny sight gags
Tiramani’s sets accommodate four different scenes. The first is a makeshift bedroom provided to Figaro and Susanna for their upcoming nuptials. It is rustic and bare, with a bed in the middle and not a lot else. A side wall with a door in it allows for the entry/exit of characters, as well as allowing the audience to see what’s happening on either side of the door – a handy device for some very funny sight gags.
The following scenes are in the countess’s chambers, a dining hall and an outside terrace. In each case, the space is cavernous with only enough furnishings to establish place and serve function. It gives the overall sense almost of situation comedy, where the scenery is suggestive and the characters and plot are the driving forces.
The success then of this this opera is very dependent of the performers and they meet this challenge admirably. Making his debut for Opera Australia is the aforementioned Canadian singer, Gordon Bintner as Count Almaviva. He has great presence and a good sense of the comically stoic nature of his character. His voice is smooth and powerful.
In the title role of Figaro is another singer making his Australian debut: Michael Sumuel from the USA. His Figaro is buoyant and almost slapstick, and he sings with a resonant bass and much gusto.
Soprano Siobhan Stagg plays Susanna, imbuing her with a mixture of cunning and deference. She has a lovely lilting tone to her voice that harmonises beautifully when she sings with the Countess and Cherubino.
Kiandra Howarth is the Countess (later being replaced by Jane Ede). She projects like a classic Hollywood leading lady – wise, world-weary, devoted in love. Howarth has a stunning aria in the last act.
The curious character of Cherubino, a philandering young man, was written as a ‘breeches role’, that is, a male role played by a female. The petite Emily Edmonds plays Cherubino in this production and does so very effectively.
Read: Grief is the Thing with Feathers review: Belvoir St Theatre struggles
The plot of The Marriage of Figaro does get quite convoluted and a little repetitive towards the end, but thanks to the great work but a commendable OA team, it never gets boring.
The Marriage of Figaro is at the Sydney Opera House until 27 August 2025.
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