Opera Review

The Marriage of Figaro Review

From the moment the curtain was raised, I was enthralled by the show. The lighting on the set was the first thing that caught my eye. It was beautifully crafted and looked extremely genuine. For a few seconds, I found myself remembering what time it was again. It was a great way to pull the viewer in immediately.

One of the show’s major strengths was the actors/singers. I think it can be said that everyone on stage was not only an amazing singer, but also a good actor/actress, which really added to the whole presentation. I felt myself getting goose bumps during some of the parts where the voices of the artists really moved me. The countess and Susanna were such characters. Another strong aspect of the show was undeniably the set. The passing of time was shown beautifully through the way the light hit the rooms. The peak moment was definitely when near the end, the set actually rotated. It left the audience members awed. The fact that the actors were able to perform so perfectly even on an obviously tilted stage added to the awe.

All this being said, there were some aspects of the show that took away from the overall experience. Most of these lied in the actual plot and not in the way it was presented. For example, the whole show was almost three and a half hours long and most of this was because lines were repeated many times throughout the whole opera. On the other hand, I do understand that since the music comes first in the Opera, the lyrics and dialogue were not the topmost priority. Even still, it did make it a bit tedious at times. In addition, the ending of the opera was way too rushed and did not seem genuine. It did not seem possible that the Count would have such a sudden change of heart and be forever loyal to his wife.

It is obvious that every production and show will have some shortcomings and some amazing qualities. Figaro, while not being perfect was still extremely enjoyable and it really brought the audience back to when it was written. It would be even better if the audience would be able to participate in the production by making comments, as it would have been in those days. The music, needless to say, was phenomenal and the orchestra outdid themselves. The Marriage of Figaro was a successful opera on the whole.