This is the second coming for this production of The Marriage of Figaro by Joe Hill-Gibbins for English National Opera (ENO). It first opened in March 2020 and managed just one performance before life intervened and the run was cancelled. So here we are again, five years on, for its full run at the London Coliseum.
One of Mozart’s most loved works, Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), is a classic opera buffa. It’s a seriously silly comedy about love and lust, hidden secrets and mistaken identities. And while it’s a little hard to see now, it was considered scandalous when it premiered in 1786 for openly lampooning the aristocracy and revealing the prevailing sexism and classism.
It’s become popular in recent times to update and relocate Figaro whether that’s into the corridors of power or, as here, into a stark white box designed by Johannes Schütz. The box is white, it’s bright and it has four identical doors. As the overture plays we see all the key characters popping in and out, opening and closing, pausing and posing. Opera meets the selfie, I suppose.
This comedic attitude continues throughout and, while the doors are a clever device, they are a little overdone. I kept expecting Basil Fawlty to pop out at any moment. The lighting, designed by Matthew Richardson, is eye-wateringly bright, especially in Act One, and creates multiple strong shadows that are a little distracting.
Bass-baritone David Ireland is solid as Figaro, a role he knows well, and Mary Bevan is strong as Susanna. US opera star Cody Quattlebaum gives Count Almaviva a healthy swagger and soprano Nardus Williams is engaging as the Countess. She really shines in the heart-rending ‘Hear My Prayer’, one of Mozart’s most enduring arias. Inevitably, the cheeky Cherubino almost steals the show, played here with verve by Hanna Hipp, who was originally cast in the role.
Sung in English, but still with surtitles for clarity, the action here is easy to follow. The translation, by Jeremy Sams from Lorenzo Da Ponte’s original libretto, has smoothed out some of the storyline; indeed, it’s more a reimagining than a translation. Even so, it still ends with a wedding and a sense that all is right with the world, so we can leave the theatre with a smile.
The ENO Orchestra gives a lively reading under guest conductor Ainārs Rubiķis, although it is perhaps just a tad too relaxed in parts. A little more contrast between light and dark would have been welcome.
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This is a big and brash production of Figaro that is sure to divide audiences and critics. Will it appeal to a new or younger opera audience? Perhaps. And to that end, ENO has a marvellous special with cheap tickets (and even some freebies) for younger people to get along to the Coliseum and experience the delights of opera live on stage.
The Marriage of Figaro
London Coliseum
English National Opera with the ENO Orchestra and Chorus in a co-production with Oper Wuppertal
Conductor: Ainārs Rubiķis
Director: Joe Hill-Gibbins
Set Designer: Johannes Schütz
Costume Designer: Astrid Klein
Lighting Designer: Matthew Richardson
Associate Director and Movement Director: Jenny Ogilvie
Translator: Jeremy Sams
Cast: David Ireland, Mary Bevan, Neal Davies, Rebecca Evans, Hanna Hipp, Hubert Francis, Nardus Williams, Cody Quattlebaum, Trevor Eliot Bowes, Ava Dodd
The Marriage of Figaro will be performed until 22 February 2025.
