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A marriage made in heaven
The Marriage of Figaro
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
***** THE simplicity of this semi-staged
version with a new, brilliant libretto and orchestration of just three
accompanying musicians (piano, viola and clarinet) is wonderfully funny,
brilliantly directed by Sarah Tipple and gorgeously sung in English. I loved the start,
where the cast set the stage during the overture. The plot makes
EastEnders
read like a Ladybird book, but I will attempt the basics. Two separate casts double up for the tour so
please forgive if I have the personnel wrong. The lecherous Count (Tom
Stoddart) has resigned his Droit du seigneur, the right of lords
to bed the lower orders, just when the eminently fanciable
Susanna (Sarah Minns), maid to Rosina the countess, is due to marry his
servant Figaro (Alistair Sutherlund). The Countess Rosina (Louisa Tee – what a voice!)
is feeling ignored and Figaro sends an anonymous letter to the Count to
say that Rosina is in love (as is most of the court) with charming page
Cherubino (Felicity Buckland) who, discovered hiding behind a chair in
Rosina’s room, is packed off to the battle front. Much semi-clad toing and froing and
defenestrations later, Figaro needs to pay his debt to Marcellina
(Mary-Jane de Havas) or be forced to marry her. Bartolo (Henry Grant
Kerstwell) the lawyer would happily stand in. But this is a comedy and Marcellina turns out to
be Figaro’s mother, Bartolo his father, Susannah hiding in the garden
for a secret assignation with the Count is replaced by Rosina to the joy
of all concerned, Susanna and Figaro marry, and charming Cherubino is
the only loser. I enjoyed this immensely, and it seemed that the
cast did too. I particularly enjoyed Bartholo slapping a judge’s wig on
the pianist’s head (Alex Beechen) when they ran out of cast – who
happily sang enthusiastically on top of all the other things he had to
do! Opera Up Close is well named. Using just the front of the stage made the whole effect supremely intimate. Some very clever and minimal use of props, particularly a picture frame that doubled as a window, made it also feel improvised and immediate. The theatre was full and I hope Opera Up Close return. Jane Howard
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