Sunday, May 8, 2016

Utah Opera's The Marriage of Figaro

Ever since I saw the movie Amadeus for the first time, I have wanted to see the opera The Marriage of Figaro and I finally got my wish last night when I attended Utah Opera's wonderful production.  After wanting to see it for so long (not to mention the fact that I have been eagerly anticipating it since the Utah Opera 2015-2016 season was announced last spring), I was a bit worried that Mozart's tale about a licentious nobleman and his scheming servants might not live up to my expectations.  It exceeded them in every way!  The opera is hilariously funny, with audience members frequently laughing out loud, but the music is so incredibly beautiful and displays a depth of emotion that is unexpected in a comedy.  To be sure it is a farce but, ultimately, it is a powerful story about love and reconciliation and I loved it!  The entire cast sang their roles beautifully and I especially enjoyed the more evocative arias such as "Grant, love, some comfort" and "Where are they, the beautiful moments" by the Countess (Nicole Heaston) and the passionate rendition of  "Countess, forgive me" by the Count (Craig Irvin), Countess, and company at the end of Act 4 brought tears to my eyes.  However, I also, rather surprisingly, enjoyed the physical comedy found in this opera (I think that comedic elements can be overdone but director Tara Faircloth found just the right balance). With Figaro (Seth Carico) and Susanna (Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez) plotting to get back at the Count, chaos ensued with some characters hiding, seemingly in plain sight, and others impersonating each other.  It was a lot of fun to watch.  Susan Memmott Allred's original costumes had a sort of Downton Abbey feel to them, which is understandable with a libretto about class divisions in society, and I thought they were all beautiful, especially Susanna's wedding dress which was so demure.  Even though this opera is over three hours long, it seemed to go by very quickly because it was so much fun to watch!  I absolutely loved The Marriage of Figaro and it was definitely worth the wait!  I recommend that you get a ticket (go here) to one of the performances through May 15 at Capitol Theatre.

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