REVIEW: WNO - The Marriage of Figaro at Mayflower Theatre

The Welsh National Opera (WNO) is back at Mayflower Theatre with their Spring collection of ‘Peter Grimes’ and ‘The Marriage of Figaro’. I wasn’t lucky enough to be able to make ‘Peter Grimes’ but I did make one of the performances of ‘The Marriage of Figaro’. In terms of opera, WNO are the very best in the business. From design, to the music, to the performers. ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ is an opera in 4 acts set to the music of of none other than ‘Mozart’. I think there is a big stigma behind opera that it is for a certain class and style of people. This is something that WNO actually work very hard at breaking down. Breaking down the barrier to opera to try make it as accessible as possible for everybody.

‘The Marriage of Figaro’

‘The Marriage of Figaro’ is a 4 act opera split into 2 halves as I said before. We already know that this is a Mozart opera, but there is an Italian libretto to accompany the music written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. This is classed as an ‘opera buffa’, or a comic opera in which this is actually widely considered to be the greatest opera ever written. When you talk about classic opera, I don’t think you can actually get any more classic than this one. This was a daunting thought to me because it most likely meant it was going to be long, and potentially very confusing. Was the opera long? It was, but I don’t think this was necessarily a bad thing. Was the opera confusing? At some points yes, but thanks to WNO, there were many things that made it so much easier to understand. Finally, was it funny? To my surprise, it actually was - there were so many moments that had the audience chuckling.

The whole of the WNO cast and chorus never fail to impress and tonight was very much the same. They always bring the energy and when watching you actually realise that these guys are more than just singers - they’re actors and performers. Playing ‘Figaro’ and ‘Susanna’ was Michael Mofidian and Christina Gansch. These guys’ chemistry together on stage was great. The signing and voices are superb and I think that goes without saying, but one thing that I was really impressed with here was the acting - both whilst singing and not. Christina got a whole bunch of laughs and really played on the big theme of dramatic irony throughout. There’s one moment that really sticks out to me where she is told to go and get a guitar to accompany another character singing, and when she comes back the orchestra is already playing the song. Her reaction and the way she holds her body were just hilarious. A little moment, but one that made all the difference. Playing ‘The Count’ and ‘The Countess’ were Giorgio Caoduro and standing in was the fantastic Erin Rossington. These guys again were incredible. The singing doesn’t need to be mentioned, but Giorgio portrayed the perfect ‘bad-guy’ for the evening. As for Erin, she was the character that the audience could lean on and relate to, and I was hooked on her every emotion when she was on stage. Bravo! I would like to give a quick shoutout to Harriet Eyley who played ‘Cherubino’ because what a performance as well!!

WNO’s production values are always very impressive. The costumes were perfect, the lighting was exactly what it needed to be - simple, and the set? I feel like the set may have fallen slightly short for this one in comparison to WNO’s other performances. The set was a couple of flats that would flip to portray a different bedroom, or place. It was very lacklustre and there wasn’t really much going on, sometimes making it a little bit difficult to keep attention up. I liked the mirror effect of all the walls being mirrored but I’m a bit confused as to whether this had a purpose or not. It was also slightly distracting being able to see the performers run behind the set because of the mirroring. However when it comes the music, WNO’s orchestra smashed it out of the park as they usually always do. I always say that theatre isn’t complete without a live band or orchestra and this is exactly the same here. Conductor, Kerem Hasan did a wonderful job at bringing the music of Mozart to life. If you’ve never seen an opera, I can almost guarantee that as soon as it starts, each opera will have at least one piece of music that makes you say, “hang on a second, I know this one!”.

Overall, ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ was certainly an impressive opera to see. Do I think it is the perfect opera for a newbie to go and see? Potentially not, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. Thanks to the surtitles above the stage (live subtitles), and to WNO’s brilliant programmes - they do all they can to ensure you understand what is going on. I have to say, for such a classic and convoluted story-line that really holds onto the use of dramatic irony, I was following along for pretty much the whole thing. I’ll be honest and say that I was a little bit lost in act 4, but that didn’t take away from the whole story and I eventually caught up with what was going. The grouped split harmonies throughout were gorgeous, and I agree with WNO - Don’t cut the chorus!! ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ feels like a pinnacle of opera and I’m so grateful that I’ve seen it performed by WNO. Whenever I leave a WNO performance, I straight away get excited for whatever they’re going to bring to Southampton next! Whether you’re a seasoned opera veteran, or have never sen one but fancy it - I can’t suggest WNO as a company enough. Do your research on which performance you should see, but whatever you do - make sure it is through these guys! Now just to wait and see them again in the Summer.