Leeds Grand Theatre – On Tour until 28th March 2026
Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood
5*****
The new production of Opera North’s The Marriage of Figaro is being premiered this season. Composed by Mozart and the libretto by Lorenzo da Pointe, and based on the play by Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais. The opera firstly premiered in the 18th Century in Vienna, Austria. This production is directed by Louisa Muller and the story centres on a day of chaos between a group of people from all walks of life. Figaro (Liam James Karai) and Susanna (Hera Hyesang Park) to marry but the setback is Count Almaviva (James Newby) who desires Susanna.
Figaro with Susanna, the ditched Countess Almaviva (Gabriella Reyes) and the womanising Cherubino (Hongni Wu) conspire to challenge the Count with his venture and to teach him a moral lesson. Their plans lead to webs of alleged and conflicted romantic feelings, misunderstandings, mistaken identities, disguises, and confusions. All these attributes are gradually unveiled throughout the plot. It eventually ends, or almost ends, all well with conflicts being resolved, identities being verified, disguises being revealed and forgiveness being pursued.
This production is excellently put together with exceptional portrayals from Karai (Figaro), Park (Susanna), Newby (Count Almaviva), Reyes (Countess Almaviva) and Wu (Cherubino). The cast are joined by the Opera North Chorus who play the supporting roles as members of the community. Mozart’s ingenious and unique music and the company’s singing and acting, courtesy of Rebecca Howell’s choreography, fully optimise the story and is musically directed by Valentina Peleggi.
Madeleine Boyd’s staging, with a touch of contemporary, humanity and modernity, and Malcolm Rippeth’s lighting successfully compliments the production. The change of each scenes transitions is smooth between each of the acts.
This exceptional production of The Marriage of Figaro is sung in Italian with English surtitles, a certainly lives up to the comedic element of this opera. The audience is guaranteed an evening of entertainment from beginning to end and it is an unmissable production to see during this season.