Fellow opera lovers: hasten to book tickets for Wild Arts’ current touring production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and prepare to be enraptured. I attended the performance on 26th June at St Andrew’s Church in Aldborough, which was part of The Northern Aldborough Festival, and it was sheer joy.
In case you are unfamiliar with the opera in question, here is a summary. This production was directed by the famed soprano Danielle De Niese, who drew upon her extensive experience singing in Figaro to create this version, which is slightly abridged (the chorus is omitted, and some of the singers double up on roles). Moreover, this version is sung in a wonderfully witty English translation penned by De Niese and the conductor Orlando Jopling, who conducted the performance I attended. The translation is peppered throughout with words and phrases from the original Italian text, seasoning this production with the piquancy of Lorenzo Da Ponte’s libretto. The Wild Arts Ensemble expertly accompanies the cast of nine utterly brilliant singers, who are also tremendously gifted actors. In an article for The Guardian describing her directorial approach, De Niese notes that ‘the plausibility of the plot depends on every singer portraying their character and each plot action believably’. Her cast fulfils this, grounding their characters in recognisable humanity.
Bass baritone Jack Sandison’s robust-voiced Figaro is clever, confident, and believably consumed with love for his winsome, vivacious Susanna, sung by the silver-toned soprano Ellie Neate.
Abbie Ward’s pageboy Cherubino is a gloriously cheeky rascal, tossed on the tempests of adolescent infatuation for every woman in the Count’s palace, especially the Countess. Ward’s bright, agile mezzo reflects her character’s mischievousness.
Baritone Timothy Nelson’s Count is intensely arrogant, domineering, and wolfish in his pursuit of Susanna, who spends much of the opera extricating herself from his unwanted embraces. The dark edges of Nelson’s burnished tone aptly mirror his character’s vices. Yet his Count’s repentance in the opera’s final scene feels fully earned and deeply genuine (De Niese has taken particular care to lay the groundwork for his change of heart).
Elinor Rolfe Johnson’s Countess (her soprano tone gleaming like a string of pearls in candlelight) is the epitome of grace and elegance under pressure, dealing with her husband the Count’s infidelity as he breaks her heart. De Niese’s fascinating staging includes a striking interpolation which offers a glimpse of the couple’s earlier passion. During the Countess’s second aria in which she laments the loss of her husband’s love, a brief, telling flashback scene ensues. At the performance I attended in St Andrew’s Church, the Count entered down the middle aisle, approaching his wife and seating himself beside her, facing her. His clothing was dishevelled, suggesting she was recollecting a post-lovemaking moment. Gazing at her tenderly, he gently took her hands in his, staring at her for a few moments. Then he slowly turned away from her, suggesting their current fraught state, as she began the final section of the aria in which her hope begins to revive. He looked forward, his stare now stern, as she embraced him, her arms around his shoulders as she leaned against his back. He departed up the aisle, and she ended the aria standing, singing determinedly of how her love could melt ‘his icy heart’. Rolfe Johnson’s performance of the aria encompasses her character’s emotional arc throughout the opera from wretched resignation to the triumph of forgiveness and love.
Other members of the cast were equally memorable. Timothy Dawkins’ sonorous-voiced Bartolo is initially a threatening figure, as per the opera’s plot – however, following the familial revelations in Act III, he thaws and his inner good nature emerges. Dawkins also sings the role of Antonio the gardener, furious at the destruction of his germaniums. Olivia Ray’s richly mellow-toned Marcellina has a thoroughly delightful character arc from would-be cougar to affectionate mother dispensing relationship advice to her son and eagerly aiding her daughter-in-law’s plots.
Tenor William Searle uses his silken, clear tone to great effect as the unctuous Basilio, and his Don Curzio is amusingly astounded by the unexpected Act III familial discoveries.
Mezzo Eleanor O’Driscoll is a giddy, pert Barbarina, delightedly blackmailing the Count with his libidinous pursuit of her (to get her sweetheart Cherubino out of hot water) and relishing her part in the Act IV garden intrigues (even if she does not fully understand them). Like Ward’s Cherubino, O’Driscoll’s supple voice mirrors her character’s spirited nature.
The opera’s most significant point is the last scene in Act IV, when all is revealed and the Count begs the Countess to forgive him. De Niese writes of this moment: ‘The opera’s final scene – where the Count asks for the Countess’s forgiveness – is an incredibly poignant one, but in quite a few productions it’s entirely possible you will hear titters in the audience. How is it possible that a selfish comic lout could sincerely ask for forgiveness with Mozart’s heartbreaking music? For an audience to believe in and be moved by that moment a director needs to draw that possibility into the Count from his very first appearance. You have to thread it backwards’. De Niese’s inclusion of the flashback scene in this production threads the forgiveness backwards by portraying the couple’s initial ardour and affection, establishing their origins and suggesting they can return to that state. Thus, the stage is set for a convincing, deeply moving reconciliation scene in Act IV.
In short, Wild Arts’ The Marriage of Figaro is an exquisite version of Mozart’s beloved classic, a delight for seasoned opera afficionados and a joyous introduction for new devotees.
(Note: At the time of publication, Mr Sandison has departed the production for his next role; doubtless his successor in the role of Figaro, baritone Matthew Siveter, is proving equally excellent).
The Marriage of Figaro is touring until 27 September 2026.