Mozart, modernized

Unlike their characters, the cast members of The Marriage of Figaro have been getting along famously.

“We’ve had way too much fun during rehearsals because everybody’s so talented and funny,” says Alberta-born soprano Caitlin Wood, who makes her Manitoba Opera debut Saturday night during the company’s season finale.

The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart’s beloved ensemble comedy, was last presented locally in 2015.

A sequel to The Barber of Seville, the opera unfolds during the fraught wedding day of Figaro (Robert Mellon), the former barber-turned-valet, and Susanna, a fellow servant to the Count (Phillip Addis) and Countess (Miriam Khalil) Almaviva.

Over four acts, the couple and the countess conspire to thwart the count’s attempts to bed the bride-to-be out of spite for Figaro. Schemes are constructed and identities are mistaken.

The smart and cunning Susanna is one of Wood’s favourite roles.

“She’s often the person manipulating the situation to get the results she wants,” Wood says, adding Susanna’s soft power is notable considering her station.

When The Marriage of Figaro premièred in 1786, it was considered controversial for the way it depicted class conflict and the eventual triumph of the servants over their master.

Those power dynamics and themes of class division keep the opera relevant today, Wood says.

“It reminds me that small acts of resistance that play within what society demands of me can move the needle. I think that’s really empowering,” she says.

Wood, who lived in Winnipeg for five years while studying music at the University of Manitoba, is excited to be back in the city and is looking forward to performing for the first time with Manitoba Opera — a company she says inspired her to pursue a career in opera as a student.

Much of the cast of The Marriage of Figaro has come from away.

Mellon, who lives in St. Louis, Mo., is also making his local debut Saturday night and agrees with Wood’s chummy characterization of rehearsals.

“This is the first time in a long time where I’ve really felt like I don’t want it to end. This group is so much fun to be around,” says the baritone.

Figaro is a character Mellon knows well. He’s performed the role seven times in both The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville, which has allowed for a deeper understanding of the character and his arc from barbershop owner to servant.

“By the end of this opera, we see him develop self-doubt. He’s not sure if he really knows what’s going on, he’s not sure if Susanna really loves him, which I think makes Figaro far more human by the end of The Marriage of Figaro than he would’ve been at the end of The Barber of Seville,” Mellon says.

Beyond the fast-paced drama of the libretto, Mozart’s score is full of fun, catchy hits. Both leads point to the big, chaotic movements at the ends of acts II and IV as favourites to sing.

Winnipeg audiences can expect a somewhat modern take on the classic production, with 1950s-inspired costuming and funky set designs.

Winnipeg-born director Robert Herriot describes The Marriage of Figaro as “a perfect ensemble opera” in which the characters, story and music are equally strong and entertaining.

He says audiences can also expect the cast’s offstage chemistry to shine through when the curtain rises.

“If they’re enjoying what they’re doing, if they’re buying into it, if they’re working to create a story amongst themselves, that definitely translates to an audience,” Herriot says.

“When it happens, it’s undeniable and pretty remarkable.”

The Marriage of Figaro is sung in Italian with English subtitles. The production is about three hours long with a 20-minute intermission.

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