‘The Marriage of Figaro’ blends romance with comedy
After weeks of practice, members of the orchestra had to play to the best of their abilities to make up for star Eric Lindsey’s sore throat from allergies. | Aisha Bouderdaben/The Daily Cougar
The Moores Opera House transported itself into 18th century Spain with its stunning performance of “The Marriage of Figaro.”
“The Marriage of Figaro” features the twists and turns of a love triangle that takes place in a castle outside of Seville. At the heart of the plot are Figaro and his bride-to-be Susanna. Figaro finds out his boss, the Count of Almaviva, has passionate feelings for Susanna and hijinxs ensue.
The opera premiered at the Moores Opera House on Thursday and ran through Sunday. It was produced by Buck Ross and starred Eric Lindsey as Figaro and Trevor Martin as Count of Almaviva while Amanda Sauceda and Kyla Knox alternated between the role of Susana and Rebecca Kidnie and Gwendolyn Alfred alternated between the role of Countess of Almaviva.
The cast brought the classic to life by performing in Italian while English subtitles were projected above the stage.
During Saturday night’s performance, the cast faced a little trouble. Lindsey was suffering a case of allergies that prevented him to sing the parts that went with the orchestra. Before the show began, Ross went up to the stage to let the audience know that doctoral student Jaime Rodriguez was able to fill in those parts from a corner booth.
Lindsey’s allergies did not interfere with his performance. He embodied all of Figaro’s characteristics: sure of himself, adventurous and head over heels for Susana.
Knox transformed into Susana with her humble and charming manner. She hit her notes beautifully.
The set and costumes drew the audience into the past. From Susana’s simple bonnet and skirt to the Count’s lavish coats and pants, viewers were transported to a world of kings and peasants, something straight out of the storybooks.
Sometimes it was hard to keep up with what was going because the subtitles were not always on the screen, causing the audience to guess what was going on. It would have helped heighten the experience if the subtitles would have been up the whole time.
Overall, the cast did a great job and successfully drew the audience in to the world of “Figaro.”
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