I found that the opera version of The Barber of Seville in large part stayed true to Beaumarchais’ play.

The versions mainly differ in their approach to love and comedy. The play placed heavy emphasis on comedy. Rosine and The Count deeply loved each other and there were romantic elements but, the entire story seemed humorous thus portraying a sort of ‘comic love.’ The love story and The Count’s courtship of Rosine provided a background for the humorous tale. However, the story is romanticized by the opera. There weren’t as many truly funny moments and the love between The Count and Rosina was brought into focus. This romantic comedy version treated humor as an element of what was primarily a love story.

On a smaller scale, I found Figaro to be different from the play version. His entrance is loud, enthusiastic and slightly boastful. The Figaro that we see in the play is somewhat subdued, an easy going charmer who admits that being a barber was not his first choice. At the same time, he also does enjoy his work. Another important difference between the two versions of the characters is that the Figaro in the play doesn’t seem to someone who passes love notes and unites lovers on a daily basis. He is very well informed and has access to the houses of the rich and the powerful but it is not suggested that he actively uses his influence all the time. He is simply helping out his former master in this particular case. But the Figaro in the opera tells the audience that part of his job as barber to the nobility is to pass messages between lovers and act as the town gossip.