Scored by an Austrian, set in Spain, sung in Italian, and based on a French play, no opera could be more European than Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” and yet there’s a reason it is the most popular work among companies in the United States.
When it is sung well and acted with great charm, as it was Saturday night at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, it captures a sentiment at this country’s core: that aristocrats are dunderheads and that a winking populace will have its way. There is a twisted romanticism at play in “Figaro” – the characters have little honor to speak of, they are really just chasing sex — but the rebels do win in the end.
The “Figaro” on stage via Opera Colorado is lovely to look at. The elaborate 18th century dresses and wigs stand out as characters themselves. The sets are deconstructed, yet the architecture that is present, high ceilings, airy windows and walls splayed with scenes of nature, speak to the palatial trappings of the day.
The story, of course, is the story: a relic of the era when plots could be based around the right of a married count to sleep with his manservant’s fiancé — unless everyone can scheme him out of his desires.
Still, this “Figaro” has a contemporary, at-ease feel. Stage director David Gately keeps his character’s nimble. They float around the stage and when they touch, they do it with a kind of passion that speaks to audiences who aren’t shocked by a little below-the-belly button thinking. Sometimes these tricksters flirt like love birds, other times the action is pure horndog.
This production gets away with it because the performers sing as skillfully as they act. This is an ensemble piece and success depends on a well-rounded set of terrific voices, all supplied here.
Simone Alberghini, is a memorable Figaro. He plays with the music here, not so much attacking it vocally as simply controlling it and making it work for him. It’s the kind of cocky confidence you get from an Italian singing in Italian. Ava Pine turns the maid Susanna into a cunning charmer; she knows when to let it fly, and when not to.
Between them there is great chemistry. That extends to the rest of the cast as well; everyone sings from the same score here. This is a comedy, balance is everything, and Keith Phares (as the Count), Twyla Robinson (the Countess) and Patricia Risley (as the spunky, worked up teen Cherubino) all find it, singing for laughs when appropriate, but tapping a rich, earthiness that gives their characters dimension.
The final part that matters in this work is played by the musicians and they performed it well under John Baril. It wasn’t the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Opera Colorado’s long-time, natural and currently departed accompanist, and one wondered when the overture began if the playing was going to have the exuberance “Figaro” requires. An Opera Colorado regular listens closely at a time like that; though its hard to tell if any lack of energy might have come from the playing or from the fact that the Ellie Caulkins Opera House is kinder to singers on stage than it is to any sounds coming from the pit.
But here too, balance ruled the evening. Voices and instruments connected as the performance continued. The chemistry was solid and extended throughout the hall, even into the audience. Enjoying the show: That’s another part of the European tradition that plays well here.
Ray Mark Rinaldi: 303-954-1540 or rrinaldi@denverpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: rayrinaldi.
“THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO.” Opera Colorado presents W.A. Mozart’s masterpiece at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 14th and Curtis streets. Starring Simone Alberghini, Ava Pine, Twyla Robinson and Keith Phares. 7:30 p.m. today and Friday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20-$165. Buy them at operacolorado.org or 800-928-2787.
