The Marriage of Figaro
Reviewed by Julia Stier
LA Opera
Closed
RECOMMENDED
You know you’re in for a fan favorite when the pre-show announcement has to remind the audience not to sing along . . . at an opera.
LA Opera’s just closed production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro was a feast for both the eyes and ears. Conducted by James Conlon and under the direction of James Gray – who made his LA Opera debut with this production — this tale of true love, trickery, and redemption exceeded expectations.
The four-act opera (sung in Italian with English super-titles) takes us to Seville, Spain, where we meet Figaro (Craig Colclough), the valet of Count Almaviva (Lucas Meachem), and Susanna (Janai Brugger), the Countess’s maid, on the intended day of their wedding. However, different forces seek to break up the pair — the Count wants to reinstate the tradition of droit du seigneur, and the housekeeper, Marcellina (Marie McLaughlin) reveals an old, contracted promise of marriage she received from Figaro.
In their quest to marry despite these complications, Susanna and Figaro engage in a series of secret plots and playful deceptions. But, with the help of the rascally lovesick pageboy Cherubino (Rihab Chaieb), and the regal Countess herself (Ana María Martínez), Figaro and Susanna finally get their happy ending.
A complaint I’ve often had of the operas I’ve seen is the stoicism that seems to infuse the performances. All the focus is on the singing, not the performance, making the storylines and emotional arcs difficult to follow.
That was not the case at LA Opera. Brugger as Susanna oozed charm. Flirtatious and mischievous, she, along with Chaieb’s Cherubino – who stole every scene she was in — used physical comedy to great effect. Colclough was a wonderfully bombastic Figaro, and Meachem’s Count gave us a villain whom we could gleefully despise.
Watching opera is a bit like watching Shakespeare. In both, when the performers knows exactly what they are saying and feeling, it helps the audience go along for the ride. That is what the cast of Figaro did so well. There were moments where the audience was left without English subtitles, but watching the performers swoon, or hide, or plead kept the audience locked into the story.
High praise also for the work of the scenic designer, Santo Loquasto. Two breaks and an intermission allowed for four elaborate sets. Each reveal elicited a quiet gasp from this reviewer, as the stage changed from a modest servants’ quarters, to an elaborate multi-level bedroom, to a grand hall, and finally, to a garden.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 North Grand Ave., dwntwn.; Now closed. https://www.laopera.org/ Running time: approximately three hours and 40 minutes, including one intermission.
