The characters wear traditional costume, but just a few nods are given to the present day. The moments that hit the mark, however, far outweigh those that miss it, and there are some brilliant ones in Act III. “…this highly dynamic production is presented over quite a large geographical area… yet still feels very intimate” Still, the final septet is rendered dynamically as the characters venture beyond this restricted area in moves that remind us that the central battle remains between Susanna and the Count. There are some moments of brilliance so that when the Countess and Cherubino gaze at each other before he has to hide, it is impossible to imagine that she does not have feelings for him, but overall all of the coming and goings in this act are squeezed into too small a space. This is the one moment when Cherubino can reveal that there are deep thoughts and feelings beneath the playful exterior and, though the start of the aria allows for this, the end cheapens what he espouses as the youth clutches an object like a microphone as if he is singing karaoke. Samantha Price reveals an excellent mezzo-soprano as Cherubino (she has also played the part for English National Opera), and her timing is spot on, but ‘Voi che sapete che cosa è amor’ is let down by the direction. As a whole, however, Act II does not feel quite as impactful as Act I because, after the immediacy of the action in front of the orchestra, suddenly the characters are a lot further away behind it. Nardus Williams then proceeds to give an extremely moving performance of ‘Porgi, amor, qualche ristoro’ as her rich soprano imbues every line with the right level of sorrow and dignity. Then four chorus members march on during ‘Non più andra’ to hand Cherubino the various parts of his uniform and reenact a battle scene by hiding behind the chair.įollowing these antics, the mood changes entirely as a curtain rolls back on the cylindrical room to reveal the Countess sitting sorrowfully at her dressing table. Owing to some very slick design and direction, Cherubino ‘disappears’ while hiding to reemerge under the floor on the other side of the stage. Susanna and Marcellina’s trading of insults in ‘Via resti servita, madama brillante’ ends with a chair and large blanket being placed centre-stage in front of the orchestra so that the action can be propelled forward without pause as the props required for the Count and Cherubino’s subsequent hiding escapades are already in place.
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There are a host of lovely touches so that Dr Bartolo is in full flight in ‘La vendetta’ when Marcellina simply offers him a sweet, with the bag of goodies then constituting the visual focus for the remainder of the aria. When Susanna leaves Figaro at the end of their first encounter, a servant appears to indicate that the Countess has actually called her. The drama from the outset feels very immediate, and throughout the evening figures are seen emerging through the doors at the back and acting in character before they actually appear in the scene. This works, however, because Figaro calculates whether his bed will fit the space in question from a plan that he holds, rather than with a measuring tape. Two topiaried bushes lie in pots (Figaro dances with one during ‘Se vuol ballare signor contino’) suggesting the setting is a garden, rather than Figaro and Susanna’s bedroom. A colonnade of arches runs out from this, which on this occasion can be pulled tight against, or away from, a wall adorned with flowers that lies behind it, and which itself contains doors.Ī gangway then runs around and in front of the orchestra, and this is where the Act I action occurs. The credits fully acknowledge that he has applied the design onto Cordelia Chisholm’s set for OHP’s current production of La traviata, where a sumptuous cylindrical room lies at one end.
In Oliver Platt’s new production, takis, who this year has reimagined the entire stage and auditorium that lies beneath the venue’s canopied roof, is the set and costume designer. In the event, this highly dynamic production is presented over quite a large geographical area, as some scenes occur in front of the orchestra and some behind it, yet still feels very intimate. Since then it has enjoyed two productions of Così fan tutte and one of Don Giovanni, but, because of COVID-19, its first staging of the initial Mozart / Da Ponte collaboration in a decade takes place in quite different circumstances to any previously known.
Opera Holland Park last performed The Marriage of Figaro in 2011. Nardus Williams & Elizabeth Karani (Photo: Ali Wright)
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