Review: The Marriage of Figaro
Manitoba Opera, April 21, Centennial, Concert Hall
Jen Zoratti

A

Incest gags, girls in drag, infidelity, guys in drag, slapstick humour, trickery and sexual innuendo — The Marriage of Figaro doesn’t exactly scream ‘opera.’

The art form is often unfairly thought of as a snoozefest, but Manitoba Opera’s version of Mozart’s famous piece proves the opera can be anything but boring.

The wickedly funny and satirical opera is a day-in-the-life account of the charming Figaro (Kristopher Irmiter) and the obstacles he must overcome to marry the love of his life, Susana (Kathleen Brett).

Susana is being sought after by the notorious skirt chaser Count Almaviva (Russell Braun), much to the dismay of his wife, Countess Almaviva (Carol Wilson). The Count is trying to reinstate his right to sleep with any new bride on his estate, and Susana is a maid for the Almavivas. Figaro is busy trying get hitched before the Count can have his way with Susana after the ceremony.

It’s not just the Count who’s on the prowl. The governess Marcellina is lusting after Figaro, and we later find out that he’s her son. Cherubino (Michelle Sutton), a love-sick pageboy is hot for the Countess. Barabarina, a vain and frivolous peasant girl is after Cherubino.

Susana must devise a series of plots and schemes to avoid the Count, save the Almaviva’s marriage and protect her own virginity — but they end up interconnecting the colourful cast in a series of communication breakdowns.

The opera, full of twists and turns, is wonderfully slapstick, written much like a Shakespearean comedy. The first act times out at nearly two hours, but you’ll be so smitten by the engaging cast and complicated plotline that you’ll hardly notice.

The roles of Susana and Figaro were both beautifully sung; Irmiter’s rich baritone was like velvet and Brett’s voice switched seamlessly from being girly and playful to strong and resolved, mirroring the shifts in her character.

The standout of the evening was the heartbreakingly endearing Cherubino, the perpetually horny teenage page. Sutton, a woman, was flawless as the earnestly love-sick boy.

Figaro was a charmer and a flirt, not just onstage but also with the audience. Irmiter was as infectiously likeable an actor as he is a singer, which made Figaro’s follies that much more funny.

Both Brett and Wilson were beautiful, but it was Wilson’s role that added depth to the play and kept it from slipping into total silliness. The Countess is the only role that has a sadness about it, as shown when she laments her husband’s ways in one of the most beautiful pieces of the opera. Her depth provides nice balance to the laughs in the opera.

Despite the risqué humour, the opera uses the roles of the Countess and Susana to comment on the sanctity of marriage and virginity. While views on the marriage bed may have been redefined since Mozart’s time, the play is still vital, especially when tempered with wry humour and introspection.