‘intelligent, funny, and rip-roaring production’
Director Louisa Muller and Set and Costume Designer Madeleine Boyd combine cleverly to uproot Mozart’s satirical four-act comic opera from its 18th C roots, re-imagining all its mischievous mayhem it in a modern-day country home.
As the day of Figaro (Liam James Karai) and Susanna’s (Claire Lees) wedding arrives, it becomes clear that Count Almaviva (James Newby), is keen to take advantage of the situation and so they conspire with the forsaken Countess (Gabriella Reyes), to outwit her husband and teach him a lesson in fidelity. Plans however are thrown awry when Bartolo (Jonathan Lemalu), seeking revenge against Figaro for thwarting his own earlier plans to marry the countess, tries to force Figaro to marry Marcellina (Katherine Broderick), a woman old enough to be his mother, much to the amusement of music teacher Basilio (Daniel Norman). As if things couldn’t get any worse, the amorous teenager Cherubino (Hongni Wu) pitches up infatuated by anything in a skirt, followed by the young Barbarina (Charlotte Bowden) who is equally infatuated with him. Throw in drunken gardener Antonio (Jamie Woollard) and lawyer Don Curzio (Kamil Bien), and what follows is a myriad of twists and turns as deception counters scheming and misunderstandings foil conspiracies as the hilarious plot delightfully unravels.
Muller delightfully sets the scene, introducing and establishing the characters and location in parallel to the overture and rightfully side-stepping the oft-confusing ‘droit du seigneur’ of the original to keep the production easily recognisable to a modern audience, and without giving too much away, the addition of child motifs was inspired, in this intelligent, funny, and rip-roaring production.
Boyd’s staging is simple yet intricately effective, segueing effortlessly between scenes from boot room to bathroom, games room and nursery to stables, all tied together by an ever-purposeful staircase, initially providing a glimpse into the comings and goings of characters out of scene whilst mirroring the on-stage subterfuge. The split staging of Act III was equally inspired as a visual interpretation of the fractures in relationships,. The costumes matched the sets, befitting each character’s status and with an added touch of the country rural and rustic to reinforce the setting, expertly matched by Malcolm Rippeth’s lighting design.
Performed in its original Italian libretto, written by Lorenzo Da Pont, the lyric flows beautifully in conjunction with the live musical accompaniment from the Orchestra of Opera North who, led by conductor Valentina Peleggi, play effortlessly and sensitively, moving at pace to the frenetic action on stage, whilst allowing time for the slower sections with the ensembles in particular well balanced.
All the cast performed strongly with good harmonies matched by the wonderful chemistry between the players which is so vital in this fast-paced drama that unfolded to some superb comic timing, and especially the array of staff, workers, and visitors to the house represented by the Chorus of Opera North, all wrapped up with wonderfully choreographed routines from Rebcca Howell.
Lemalu and Broderick combined hilariously to deliver a delightful combination with Bien’s smart lawyer nicely offset by Woolard’s conniving gardener. Norman was superb with a strong vocal matched by some excellent comic routines.
Wu brought the necessary energy and exuberance to the teenage Cherubino with an impressive vocal and a real attention to detail. Although in a limited role, Bowden seized her moment with a fine vocal performance and good acting.
Newby got the balance right between smug and smarmy to serve up an all too believable Count whilst Lees balanced the emotion of a demanding role with some good comic touches. Whilst latterly both were to provide impressive solos and contributed strongly in ensemble pieces, they did struggle early on to be heard above the orchestra and their peers.
Karai excels vocally demonstrating great enunciation with an excellent all-round performance in which he perfectly captures the character’s evolution from youthful swagger through to a more dignified warmth.
Reyes delights with a purity to her voice and beautiful phrasing – none more so than her Dove sono – in a moving performance that ensured the director’s ambitions for this interpretation became very much a reality.
The Marriage of Figaro performs once more at The Lowry on Saturday 14th March at 7pm before continuing on tour. Further details and booking https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/the-marriage-of-figaro/
Review Date: 12th March 2026
Star Rating: FOUR