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.”
It was very annoying the subtitles were not always on. I think if I paid to see the performance, I’d expect subtitltes to be present for every line. Not sure if they were meant for summarizing the dialogue taking place or actually translating line by line but it was annoying. Having to look up and down all the time is annoying enough, but when it’s not even there, it just makes it even worse.
I did unfortunately go to Saturday’s performance, the only day I could go, and it wasn’t too bad despite having someone needing to Figaro for some of the pieces. Front row seats aren’t fun.
Front row seats aren’t fun.
Perhaps it was because the lighting from the stage design shone full force on the entire front row, but not on anyone behind it.
Typically with any show that is in a foreign language and uses surtitels, such as an opera, when words/lines are repeated, you don’t keep repeating the same English lines over and over again in the surtitles. Nothing is ever omited, and lines are never dropped. Every line is always translated, unless you get some silly company that uses an incorrect translation. It is meant so that you are able to fully enjoy the show instead of having to look up and be distracted by the same words flashing over and over again. 🙂
I am, overall, extremely unimpressed by this review. It is unprofessional. And to not even have a picture of the performers, and instead one of the orchestra in rehearsal clothes? At least post a picture of them in concert attire. Oh, and might I say it is with a caption about Lindsey being sick underneath? Ms. Rojas should probably not be in journalism. There is very little about the show itself, she even spelled the main character’s name wrong, as “Susana” instead of “Susanna,” and even dropped words. What is written is what is in the program. Anyone could write that.
I saw the show myself twice, to get a taste of both casts, and it was spectacular. The comedy was perfectly timed, and the characters embodied their roles completely. Not to mention the singing displayed by all members. The Susannas were very different, and it was refreshing. And the Countesses had powerful voices that could make the highest notes so soft and tender it sent shivers down the spine. The Count was very detailed with his acting, and will certainly be playing Almaviva again some day. Cherubino was very athletic and portrayed a hormonal young boy stunningly while singing his/her arias. I thoroughly enjoyed the comedy and beautiful vocals of the Marcellina, Bartolo, and Basilio, all who received huge laughs. And both of the Barbarinas were intelligent and tender, with vocals that made you sad she didn’t get to sing more, all while embodying the 14 year old girl she is supposed to be. It was unfortunate that Lindsey was ill on Saturday, but his vocals on Thursday was stunning (as well as his acting), and James Rodriguez covered nicely. Director, David Ward, is obviously a genious, and I honestly look forward to seeing more of his productions in the future.
I could go on and write more about the show, seeing as I am as qualified as Ms. Rojas, but I will not. Point of my “review” if that’s what that is, is that if there were more shows, I would go and see them, and I truly look forward to seeing what UH has to offer us next season.
Thanks for the clarification. I’m not a big opera goer, so it’s still new to me. I managed to shift to the back rows after the intermission luckily.