If one were to compile a list of the best all-around operas of all time, “The Marriage of Figaro” would have to be among the top picks.
This sparkling, impeccably crafted 1786 comedic look at human follies and frailties offers a near-perfect melding of a delightful story by famed librettist Lorenzo da Ponte and some of the most appealing and affecting music that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ever wrote.
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 11th staging of the opera since 1957, a welcome revival of a production that the company debuted at the beginning of its 2015-16 season, opened Saturday evening and is a rousing success in virtually every way.
This intricately woven musical farce revolves around the philandering Count Almaviva (bass-baritone Gordon Bintner) who desperately tries to steal away his wife’s maid, Susanna (soprano Ying Fang), on the day of her wedding to the count’s valet, Figaro (bass-baritone Peter Kellner).
What ensues is a madcap mix of overheard conversations, disguised characters, surprise identities, revenge schemes and nighttime assignations, with no shortage of plot twists and slapstick antics along the way.
Everything revolves around love — young love, puppy love, lost love, wannabe love, forbidden love and, perhaps most important, restored love (and, of course, ample doses of lust). And unlike so many operas, it all has a happy ending.
A key, rightly touted ingredient in this production is the participation of Barbara Gaines, a major and much-honored figure in the Chicago theater world. The founder and former artistic director of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater staged the premiere of this production and returned for this revival.
Her consummate skill as a director, especially her keen sense of comedy, permeate every twist and turn of this opera. She has infused each scene with bustling energy and movement, making sure every double take and visual gag is perfectly timed.
There are also lots of clever theatrical devices along the way, like her inventive use of the house, with a few frolicsome characters, for example, entering by a side door during the overture and lifting the bottom of the front curtain to scamper onto the stage — one “accidentally” pulling the curtain down in the process and playfully launching the show.
Gaines invests the characters with larger-than-life comic sensibilities, but she also makes sure each has a believable, down-to-earth dimension. And she gets the wittily libertine feel of this opera just right, without ever letting things become too bawdy or base.
James Noone’s scenery, with its loose, stylized allusions to the 18th century, provides several visual elements that add to the comedy. These include Countess Almaviva’s ridiculously oversized bed, which becomes a kind of second stage, and a group of Roman-style sculptures of nude figures in humorously suggestive poses. Susan Mickey’s costumes offer wittily over-the-top takes on apparel of the time, like Marcellina’s (mezzo-soprano Sarah Mesko) exaggeratedly spiky, bright-orange dress.
None of this would matter, of course, without a suitable cast, and Lyric Opera has assembled an excellent group of singers, starting with Fang. Despite the opera’s title, Susanna anchors this opera, and Fang ably fills out the character with an easy, affable stage presence and bright, clear voice.
Kellner brings plenty of the mischievous, playful spirit and showmanship so necessary to the beloved role of Figaro. But he could easily amp up his zaniness even a few more notches and bring a bit more punch to his expressive singing, especially his otherwise solid take on the famous aria at the end of Act 1, “Non più andrai.”
With a wonderfully resonant and expressive voice, Bintner is as good an actor as he is a singer. He could hardly be better as the preening, self-satisfied count who ultimately finds himself one-upped by everyone around him.
Providing some of the opera’s most striking singing is Italian soprano Federica Lombardi as the countess. She has many superlative moments in this opera, none more memorable than her floating, penetrating aria at the beginning of Act 2, “Porgi, amor, qualche ristoro,” as the countess laments her failing marriage.
Guest conductor Erina Yashima, a former Solti Conducting Apprentice at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, drew forth first-rate playing from the Lyric Orchestra, but, especially in the first half, her pacing lags a bit, slightly diminishing the production’s full potential energy and vibrancy. Deserving particular note is keyboardist William C. Billingham, who provides strong, flexible support, especially during the exposed recitatives.