Mozart opera, 'Figaro,' a hit
at Moores School of Music
The Marriage of Figaro
**** out of five stars
Director: Buck Ross
Moores School of Music
By Kristin Buchanan
Daily Cougar Staff
It's the day she's been waiting for her whole
life. The wedding day she's dreamed about for years has finally become
a reality. The blushing bride nervously looks into the eyes of the man
with whom she's about to spend her wedding night -- only it's not her new
husband, it's the lord of her manor.
The right of the lord, or the droit de seigneur,
was a medieval tradition that allowed the lord of a manor the right to
sleep with a bride before the husband did, when a wedding took place in
that lord's home.
The Marriage of Figaro is the second part
of a three-part series of operas that includes The Barber of Seville
and La Mère Coupable. It addresses the issue of droit
de seigneur.
In the story, Count Almaviva has become a local
hero among the town maidens after renouncing this dehumanizing custom.
Now that his lovely servant Susanna is about to
wed Figaro, the Count is having second thoughts.
The entire four-act opera takes place in one action-filled
day -- Figaro and Susanna's wedding day.
The first act opens upon a beautiful set depicting
a room in Count Almaviva's home. Susanna and Figaro are brimming with excitement
about the wedding.
Figaro's excitement diminishes when Suzanna tells
him of the Count's plans to get first dibs on her on their wedding night.
He erupts with manly indignation, concocting a plan to thwart the Count
and preserve Susanna's chastity for himself.
Unfortunately, the Count's libido isn't the only
threat to the happiness of their marriage.
Figaro owes a debt to the evil Marcellina. The
contract he signed says that if he cannot pay her back, he has to marry
her.
Meanwhile, Bartolo, a doctor from Seville, is
looking for the perfect revenge to exact on Figaro, who is responsible
for ruining his chances with Rosina in The Barber of Seville .
The fate of the two lovers hangs in the balance
as the story unravels.
Alone in her room, the Countess wonders what happened
to the magic that she and the Count once had. She sings about the love
he once had for her and how it has tragically waned over the years.
Susanna and Cherubino, the page, enter the room
to work on their plan to keep the Count from exercising his droit de
seigneur. When the Count approaches, Susanna runs to her room and Cherubino
hides in the closet.
The Count suspects the Countess of cheating on
him. His hypocrisy in extramarital affairs becomes glaringly obvious as
he continues to accuse her and berate her in this scene.
Susanna trades places with Cherubino behind the
Count's back. Cherubino jumps out of the window, and the Count is embarrassed
and ashamed when Susanna walks out of the closet instead of whom he was
expecting.
Later on, Bartolo, Marcellina, and Don Curzio,
the lawyer, attempt to sabotage the wedding plans. Figaro gives a testimony
in attempt to stop the three from exacting their revenge.
A great plot twist is revealed when Figaro describes
his birthmark and how he was abducted as an infant. Marcellina announces
that he is her long-lost lovechild, and that Bartolo is his father.
Immediately, the contract is nullified, and Figaro
is reunited with his parents.
Later on, the Countess tells Susanna to pretend
she is going to rendezvous with the Count in the garden that night. The
Countess is going to disguise herself as Susanna and attempt to save her
marriage.
Figaro finds out about Susanna's plan to see the
Count, but not of the arrangement with the Countess. He decides to ambush
the meeting. Marcellina warns Susanna and they decide to play a trick on
him - Susanna will go disguised as the Countess and play mind games with
Figaro.
Later that night, the two ladies, disguised as
each other, wait for the Count and Figaro to arrive. Figaro spies on the
woman he thinks is Susanna, growing more and more jealous by the moment.
Cherubino almost ruins the plot as he attempts
to allure "Susanna." As soon as the Count arrives, Cherubino flees.
After the Count woos "Susanna," the "Countess"
appears on the scene. Figaro comes out and tells her of their spouses'
"infidelities".
Figaro soon recognizes Susanna's voice, and decides
to let her think she's still tricking him. He begins to woo her, and she
is outraged.
As soon as Susanna discovers he is playing a joke
on her, she lays the "smack-down" on Figaro.
When the Countess reveals her face, the Count
immediately repents of his extramarital sins and promises to love her from
now on.
This is a great performance of The Marriage
of Figaro. The show is well cast and the sets are beautiful. Aside
from a few moments of timidity from the violin section, the orchestra plays
well.
Gutemberg Amaral is an excellent Figaro. He charms
the audience with his handsome baritone voice and dramatic facial expressions.
Yvonne Love plays a darling Susanna, and is an
excellent counterpart for Amaral.
The character of Marcellina, played by Nancy Markeloff,
is very well done. She seems to glow with an evil aura as she walks the
stage, and her "cat" adds a nice touch.
Overall, the Moores School of Music's presentation
of The Marriage of Figaro is a delightfully funny treat for anyone
who's ever experienced difficulty in a relationship.
