As we approach tech week for Illinois Wesleyan's production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, I think it is important that everyone coming knows the story for this classic comedy. IWU is performing Figaro in the original Italian language with super-titles and some dialogue in English, but it would be extremely helpful to read this article before you come! Opera is much more enjoyable when you understand the characters. So, let's break it down.
Cast of Characters:
Susanna: maid to Countessa, engaged to Figaro, witty badass
Figaro: valet to Count, engaged to Susanna, basically a puppy dog who can protect you
Count: big cheese, married to Countesssa, wants to get with Suanna, will fight you
Countessa: regal badass, married to Count, kinda has a thing for Cherubino, smarter than you
Cherubino: Count's page, typical teenage boy, will flirt with anyone, horny
Marcellina: older maid, won't let go of her past, stuck in the fashions of the past, bitch
Bartolo: lawyer, will do anything Marchellina tells him to do, sorta smart
Basilio: educator, town gossip, will out sass you
Don Curzio: judge, stutters, probably doesn't actually understand what is going on
Barbarina: Antonio's daughter, very comfortable calling the Count "daddy," flirtatious
Antonio: Gardener, drunk, will hunt you down if you hurt his geraniums
Chorus: fan club
Plot:
Act 1
Figaro and Susanna are pumped to get married. Everything is great: the Count has given them the best room in the castle, a new bed, and Figaro is #blessed to be a valet. Susanna is not as pleased. She just found out that the Count is ready to enact an ancient practice called, "droit du seigneur, the purported feudal right of a lord to bed a servant girl on her wedding night before her husband can sleep with her." Of course, Figaro is livid and sings a killer aria about how he wants to make the Count suffer.
Meanwhile, Marcellina is pissed because she once gave Figaro a loan and he never paid her back. When they made the agreement, Figaro signed a contract that said if he doesn't pay her back, he has to marry her. It's been too long and Marcellina is practically a spinster, so she feels like on the eve of Figaro's wedding it's the perfect time to bring this agreement back up. She tell Bartolo of this, and he agrees to help her because he hates Figaro for setting up the Count and Countess when Bartolo was in love with the Countess. Also, Susanna abhors Marcellina and they sing a duet together filled with false smiles and boiling anger that doesn't explode into violence...yet.
Now enter Cherubino, he loves Susanna and tries to flirt with her, but reveals that he truly has a thing for the Countess. Susanna thinks it's hilarious because he's such a child. Cherubino sings a love song and Susanna just laughs it off. Suddenly, the Count rushes in to seduce Susanna, so Cherubino hides. If the Count found Cherubino in Susanna's room it would be hella bad. Then the court gossip, Basilio, comes in to talk about Cherubino being in love with the Countess. The Count hides while Susanna and Basilio talk but then the Count reveals himself when the information about the harmless crush comes out. Basilio loves this and they all sing a trio. After chasing Cherubino out of the room when he can't stay quiet, they run into Figaro and the chorus. The group basically forces the Count to bless the marriage of Figaro and Susanna. Determined to not end the day losing, the Count sends Cherubino off to the military.
Act II
We finally get to see the illustrious Countess. She sings a beautiful aria about how she's depressed because the Count doesn't love her. To make herself feel better, she and Susanna devise a plan to trick the Count. Cherubino (who refused to leave) will dress as a girl and meet the Count in the garden. Unexpectedly, the Count knocks on the Countess's door forcing everyone to hide again. The Count is furious that the door is locked to him. Eventually the Count and Countess leave. Cherubino jumps out the window into the garden to escape. Then the Count and Countess come back and are surprised when Susanna emerges from the room. Everything is awkward. The gardener, Antonio, appears, complaining that someone has jumped from the window, trampling his flowers. Figaro rushes in, assesses the situation then feigns a limp and pretends that it was he who jumped. At that moment Bartolo, Marcellina, and Basilio arrive, gloating to the Count and waving the contract that obliges Figaro to marry Marcellina in Suanna's face. triumphant, the Count declares that Figaro must honor his agreement and that his wedding to Susanna will be postponed. Marcellina closes this act by sauntering off, contract trophy in hand.
Act III
Susanna pretends to seduce the Count so he will meet her (actually Cherubino) in the garden. It works and the plan is set. Marcellina decides to strike. Flanked by Bartolo and Don Curzio, she confronts Figaro who tries to get out of the marriage by saying he needs to consent of his long lost parents. He mentions that he has a spatula birthmark and Marcellina flips. It's her son! She then drops the huge bomb that she and Bartolo hooked up once so that's Figaro's father. Marcellina is so overcome with motherly emotion and is so happy that she's found her son. She and Susanna make up after she explains that there is no way in hell she will commit incest by marrying her son. The Countess is determined to go through with the trick against the Count, so she and Susanna write a letter to him confirming the trist with Susanna that evening in the garden. Cherubino, now dressed as a girl, appears with his bae, Barbarina, the daughter of Antonio. The Count is furious to discover that Cherubino has disobeyed him and is still in the house. But his anger is redirected by Barbarina, who tells he count, that when he attempted to seduce her, promised her anything she wanted, and that Cherubino. The count is forced to agree. We then segue into a double wedding between Figaro and Susanna as well as Marcellina and Bartolo because Marcellina wants to be the star.
Act IV
At night in the garden, Barbarina despairs that she has lost the pin the count has asked her to take back to Susanna as a sign that he’s received her letter. When Figaro and Marcellina appear, Barbarina tells them about the planned meeting between the Count and Susanna. Figaro hides when Susanna and the Countess arrive, dressed in each other’s clothes. Susanna then also hides in time to see Cherubino try to seduce the disguised Countess. The boy is chased away by the count who wants to be alone with the woman he believes is Susanna. Figaro, by now realizing what is going on, joins in the joke and declares his passion for Susanna in her Countess disguise. The Count returns to discover Figaro with his wife, or so he thinks, and explodes with rage. At that moment, the real countess steps forward and reveals her identity. Ashamed, the count asks her pardon. After many moments of agonizing doubt, she forgives him and both couples are reunited.
Source:
http://www.metopera.org/Discover/Synopses/Nozze-di...
***A note about our production***
We will not be performing the entire opera. There are cuts and some information will be given in the super titles. Please review the synopsis before to understand fully what is going on.
