Having seen a version at The Met in the 1970s, I see this as a wonderful, different version. Made even more bawdy, as it should be for today's audience. Really appreciate the option of Italian or English captions.
2 Reviews
Fine version of Mozart's classic.
Dudley-46 June 2020
Likable and well-performed production albeit with a few oddities
TheLittleSongbird3 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
While I've seen better productions of Le Nozze Di Figaro, which along with Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte(a lot of fondness for Die Zauberflote) is one of Mozart's best operas, this Opera Australia production is likable in a lot of ways. Not everything worked personally. The wigs for the Countess and Bartolo are terrible, they don't flatter Rachelle Durkin or Warwick Fyfe at all and look more Gothic horror(the same could be said for the make-up, Fyfe in particular looks like a ghost) than 18th century period. Basilio's Count Dracula-like wig managed to work though, it wasn't anywhere near as jarring and when it comes to productions of Figaro Basilio is no stranger to strange wigs. Another problem was that you're never really sure when the production is meant to be set with anachronistic modern appliances like a hair-dryer and iron and costumes that seemed to be a hodge-podge of 18th century and 19th century. At first the set's not that appealing with a big curtain/draping that gives the stage an underground lair look, and some of the production in bigger ensembles looks over-crowded and cramped as a result, but with more props and colour it grows on you, the inner acts are very nicely done though the garden setting didn't really look like one.
Despite the style hodge-podge the costumes are actually very beautiful, the men looking dapper(Figaro throughout) and the women looking elegant(the Countess in Act 3). And the staging is always engrossing, the funny parts while at times broad but very entertaining and never vulgar or gratuitous(the Act 2 finale and Act 3 Sextet are riots), but the intensity in the Act 2 scene between the Count and Countess and the tenderness for the ending ensemble are not missed either. The video directing isn't static nor is it intrusive or superfluous, you see all the action but intimacy is given too. The sound is good enough too if lacking in resonance in places, but the acoustic of the opera house could be something to do with it. The orchestra play with hearty style, depth and nuance, the phrasing supple and the tone lush. Patrick Summers does some of the best conducting I've seen from him, he gives the timeless score boundless energy(even in the recitatives) yet also space when needed, like in Dove Sono and Deh Vieni Non Tardar). The chorus are well-balanced and rehearsed.
Teddy Tahu Rhodes is a superb Figaro. His tall, slender frame attribute to his handsome presence on stage, he seems to be enjoying every second and comes across as a very likable and funny actor and his singing is very attractive and sonorous. Taryn Fiebig's Susanna is charming and sassy and her voice is bright and clear and is careful not to peck, her chemistry with Rhodes is very natural and you can feel the attraction and love between them. Peter Coleman-Wright sings warmly and with great vigour, especially in Act 2, and while Rhodes does look more of an aristocrat than Wright does, he captures the Count's arrogance and jealousy and later redemption very well without overdoing it. Rachelle Durkin's Countess is dignified and moving, and her voice is radiant, if a little too wide in vibrato, making for some heartfelt singing in her two big arias. Sian Pendry, while not looking quite boyish enough, captures Cherubino's impetuousness and teenage angst most believably and she possesses a pure mezzo voice(if slightly over-covered in Non So Piu; Voi Che Sapete is much more assuredly sung). Warwick Fyfe's Bartolo is amusing but also more human than most in the role, Jacqueline Dark makes Marcellina quite touching and Kanen Breen is pretty hilarious as Basilio if on the camp side. Antonio is wonderfully characterised, Barbarina is charming and Curzio is funny in the Act 3 sextet.
Overall, there are a few oddities here and there but the performances and the musical values make it a very likable and worthwhile production still. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Despite the style hodge-podge the costumes are actually very beautiful, the men looking dapper(Figaro throughout) and the women looking elegant(the Countess in Act 3). And the staging is always engrossing, the funny parts while at times broad but very entertaining and never vulgar or gratuitous(the Act 2 finale and Act 3 Sextet are riots), but the intensity in the Act 2 scene between the Count and Countess and the tenderness for the ending ensemble are not missed either. The video directing isn't static nor is it intrusive or superfluous, you see all the action but intimacy is given too. The sound is good enough too if lacking in resonance in places, but the acoustic of the opera house could be something to do with it. The orchestra play with hearty style, depth and nuance, the phrasing supple and the tone lush. Patrick Summers does some of the best conducting I've seen from him, he gives the timeless score boundless energy(even in the recitatives) yet also space when needed, like in Dove Sono and Deh Vieni Non Tardar). The chorus are well-balanced and rehearsed.
Teddy Tahu Rhodes is a superb Figaro. His tall, slender frame attribute to his handsome presence on stage, he seems to be enjoying every second and comes across as a very likable and funny actor and his singing is very attractive and sonorous. Taryn Fiebig's Susanna is charming and sassy and her voice is bright and clear and is careful not to peck, her chemistry with Rhodes is very natural and you can feel the attraction and love between them. Peter Coleman-Wright sings warmly and with great vigour, especially in Act 2, and while Rhodes does look more of an aristocrat than Wright does, he captures the Count's arrogance and jealousy and later redemption very well without overdoing it. Rachelle Durkin's Countess is dignified and moving, and her voice is radiant, if a little too wide in vibrato, making for some heartfelt singing in her two big arias. Sian Pendry, while not looking quite boyish enough, captures Cherubino's impetuousness and teenage angst most believably and she possesses a pure mezzo voice(if slightly over-covered in Non So Piu; Voi Che Sapete is much more assuredly sung). Warwick Fyfe's Bartolo is amusing but also more human than most in the role, Jacqueline Dark makes Marcellina quite touching and Kanen Breen is pretty hilarious as Basilio if on the camp side. Antonio is wonderfully characterised, Barbarina is charming and Curzio is funny in the Act 3 sextet.
Overall, there are a few oddities here and there but the performances and the musical values make it a very likable and worthwhile production still. 7/10 Bethany Cox
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