The Marriage Of Figaro At Milton Keynes Theatre Review

Reviewed by Hilz

Sensational!

Well, this production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro by Glyndebourne Opera Company was unbelievably good.
The theatre was almost full, which felt great for an opening night. There was happy anticipation as we waited for the start.  The opera was written in 1773 but this performance brought it right up to date with most expressive acting and choreography.  I had forgotten that this is a comedy which made it all the more entertaining – there was humour weaved all the way through it.

I can’t express how good the orchestra were – absolutely perfect.  The overture set the scene and individual instruments shone out throughout the performance.  The story revolves around two couples. One happy couple, Susanna and Figaro who are servants, and about to be married, and one unhappy couple, the Count and Countess who are struggling because of the Count’s infidelity.

The Count has the right to sleep with any of his servants and he has his eye on Susanna. Figaro is understandably heartbroken about this and he’s determined to do something to stop him.  What follows is quite a complex plot with some surprising outcomes (!) – But I won’t spoil it for you.  All the soloists were incredible – I could not pick one out as the best.. Or, if you make me, I would have to say Susanna and the Countess, both of whom sang so beautifully and effortlessly – but it was a photo finish with the others!

I know the piece well and was anticipating each note to come before it was sung. I was never disappointed. It was superb.  The four stage sets of the four acts looked really good – appropriate backdrops for each scene and the choreography was inspired.  In the ensemble pieces, for example the wedding dance, there were definitely hints of the Macarena and possibly Gangnam style as well! – Inspired and hilarious!  It is a fairly long production – two hours and 50 minutes – but it raced by and didn’t feel like it at all.

There was a 20 minute interval in the middle and two very short intervals at the ends of Acts one and three
It is sung in Italian but there are English supertitles high above the stage in translation.  We had great seats with a great view of the stage but found that the supertitles were a little bit high for us. It meant that as we looked up to understand the words we missed some of the action on stage.  However, the supertitles did make a huge difference to the understanding and enjoyment of it, and were very much needed to all those of us that don’t speak fluent Italian (!)
Another good thing was that two of the cast – Florists – spoke before the performance started.  Unfortunately, one of the microphones wasn’t working properly so we missed a little bit, but that was minor.  At the end of the performance one of them – still in costume – was in the foyer talking to people. We went and spoke to her and she was very smiley and engaging. It really rounded off the evening well to have that opportunity.

Above and beyond expectations!
Phenomenal!
We gave it a standing ovation (and didn’t understand how others didn’t)

Rating: 5/5 Stars

The Marriage of Figaro is part of the Glyndebourne Tour at Milton Keynes Theatre from Tuesday 1st to Saturday 5th November

500 Marlborough Gate, Milton Keynes MK9 3NZ

Ticket prices start from £13.00 plus £3.80 booking fee and can be purchased here:

https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/glyndebourne-the-marriage-of-figaro/milton-keynes-theatre/

Or call the Box Office on 0844 871 7615