1786
Mainstage Opera: Kirkpatrick Auditorium
The Marriage of Figaro
November 17 - 19 Performed in Italian, with English supertitles MUSIC: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart LIBRETTO: Lorenzo da Ponte INSPIRED BY: Beaumarchais’ 1784 play, a sequel to his earlier The Barber of Seville, which inspired an opera by Rossini 30 years later. OF NOTE: Duet between the countess and her maid is featured in an iconic moment in Shawshank Redemption. WHAT THE CRITICS SAY: One of the most dazzlingly perfect and intensely human works in the operatic repertoire. In its inventive ingenuity and capacious sympathy, Figaro never fails to exert some kind of allure. The intricate comical clockwork of the action, with its layers of deceptions and counter-deceptions as the servants Figaro and Susanna struggle to tie the knot despite the lecherous intentions of Count Almaviva, works every time. — Joshua Kosman, The San Francisco Chronicle SYNOPSIS: Regarded as one of the greatest operas ever written, The Marriage of Figaro is a screwball comedy complete with disguises, surprises, and compromises. Count Almaviva has wed the lovely Rosina after wooing her away from her aged guardian and would-be husband, Dr. Bartolo. But their marriage has floundered because of the count’s continued affairs. Figaro has quit barbering and is now engaged to Susanna, who is the countess’ maid—and the count’s next intended conquest. Old Bartolo is back to seek revenge. Adding to the plot twists: an amorous teenager, a scheming spinster, a drunken gardener, and a silly girl. With Mozart’s masterpiece of a score, the result is a witty yet profound tale of love, betrayal, and forgiveness.
Karen Coe Miller Jan McDaniel
DIRECTOR MUSIC DIRECTOR
Opening Night Dinner Tickets: $25 Bass Music Center Atrium 6:15 p.m. Friday, November 17
Pre-Show Director’s Talk Free Petree Recital Hall 7:15 p.m. Friday, November 17 7:15 p.m. Saturday, November 18 2:15 p.m. Sunday, November 19
Performances Tickets: $14–28 Kirkpatrick Auditorium 8 p.m. Friday, November 17 8 p.m. Saturday, November 18 3 p.m. Sunday, November 19