Theatre Review: The Marriage of Figaro, Tobacco Factory Theatres

Rating: ★★★★

Running Dates: Wednesday 2nd October - Saturday 12th October 2024

Where to see it: Tobacco Factory Theatres

Duration: 2 hours, 50 minutes (inc. Interval)

Keywords: Comedic, Modern, Relationships

Photo Credit: Mark Dawson

Review

There’s definitely more than one scene I won’t be able to get out of my head!

The Marriage of Figaro is a comedic opera showcasing the story between Figaro and his fiancée Susanna, with the aim of protecting her from The Count (his employer) who is a notorious womaniser, Figaro along with the rest of the cast come up with a plan to expose his true nature.

The opera by Mozart, is based on a play by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. Separated into 4 acts, the play starts with Figaro and Susanna making wedding preparations - you could say Figaro wasn’t quite listening!

Without any spoilers, the storyline then went on to express the relations between The Count and Countess, Marcellina and Doctor Bartolo,, and eventually Barbarina and Cherubino.

The use of props utilised the stage presence, and with the Tobacco Factory stage situated central to the audience, added an extra depth of intimacy, bringing the audience closer to the deep emotions expressed through opera.

Photo Credit: Mark Dawson

There’s quite a few modern twists, and love triangles which created belly laughs across the audience, and added to the overall production feel.

Throughout the opera the acting was exceptional, Cherubino (played by Anna-luise Wagner) was particularly amusing with their goofy ways. There’s definitely more than one scene I won’t be able to get out of my head.

This matched perfectly with the orchestra on stage allowed easy following of this performance. The highs of the violins, accompanied with the lows of the double bass created expressive storytelling in itself. The orchestra truly did provide the foundation for each scene setting.

Whether you understand the story of The Marriage of Figaro, or it’s your first time, it’s easy to follow the humorous storyline throughout the opera.

To get tickets for the show click here

We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.

Written by Tamara Lawrence

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