‘FIGARO’ GETS NEW LOOK FOR PALM BEACH PRODUCTION
Palm Beach Opera teams with similar organizations for show.
Audiences attending Palm Beach Opera’s performances of “The Marriage of Figaro” this weekend at the Kravis Center are likely to see something they’ve never seen before.
For most, the novelty probably isn’t Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s and Lorenzo Da Ponte’s comic opera, wid ely considered the greatest opera ever written. Rather, it’s the new sets, costumes and lighting.
“The Marri ageofFigaro” tied for third place with “The Magic Flute” and “Tosca” on Opera America’s 2016-17 list of the most produced operas in the United States and Canada.
But Palm Beach Opera couldn’t find a suitable production to rent when it was planning the 2017-
The opera, which debuted in 1786, three years before the outbreak of the French Revolution, was considered subversive in its day.
18 season a couple of years ago, general director Daniel Biaggi said. Its criteria: something traditional, affordable and scaled so that it could be built in the two days allotted for set-up at the Kravis Center.
All three criteria were met by teaming up with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Philadelphia and San Diego Opera to create a new production.
“None of us felt there was any ‘Figaro’ around that we were excited about using,” said Deborah Sandler, general director and CEO of Lyric Opera of Kansas City, which spearheaded the project. “A co-production is a great way to pool resources and create a product that’s more than any of us could do alone.”
Kansas City built the production in its shop and will handle rentals.
The partners tapped Stephen Lawless as stage director, who chose Leslie Travers to design sets and costumes.
The opera is about the upturning of the old social order, said Lawless, who has directed four other new productions of the piece.
In the story, Count Almaviva schemes to seduce Susanna, his neglected wife’s lady’s maid, who is about to be married to his valet, Figaro. The nobleman’s attempts are foiled by the counter-moves of his underlings, Susanna and Figaro.
The opera, which debuted in 1786, three years before the outbreak of the French Revolution, was considered subversive in its day. Napoleon called it “the Revolution in action.”
“It’s Shakespearan in its depth,” Lawless said. “It’s funny and potentially tragic, personally and politically.”
It’s also long — four acts lasting about three hours and 15 minutes.
Travers’ set, which positions the story in the 18th century, is designed to communicate the disintegration of the old hierarchy and speed the plot along with only one intermission.
The linchpin is a pair of movable walls that can be configured into multiple settings and provide corridors for eavesdroppers to skulk in and quick avenues of escape — both of which figure into the fast-paced story.
The walls are decorated with the count’s family tree, laden with cameo portraits of his ancestors. As the story goes on, the family tree erodes, along with the count’s authority.
The costumes telegraph the class conflict as well. Most notably, the count begins the opera arrayed in bold colors. By Act Three, his attire more closely matches that of the off-white walls — a transition that reflects his lost status and emotional turmoil.
Kansas City premiered the production in November 2016; Philadelphia followed last spring. It travels to San Diego in October.
The production cost about $400,000 to create. Palm Beach Opera chipped in $75,000, a bit less than the other partners, because it had to create two sets of costumes, as its three-day performance schedule requires two casts.
It’s a sound investment, Biaggi said. “The opera is often produced, which means companies will want variety and there’s a scarcity of available product.”
He doesn’t expect rentals to make a big difference to Palm Beach Opera’s bottom line. It’s more about the company’s commitment to improving the looks of its productions, he said.
Even so, the new “Figaro” probably won’t languish in Kansas City’s warehouse. It’s already been rented by Minnesota Opera, and two other companies are considering it.