Canadian Opera Company's sexed up Figaro: beautifully sung, creepily funny

The Canadian Opera Company's new run of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro is a revival of the much travelled Claus Guth production first seen in Salzburg in 2006 and last seen in Toronto in 2016. This time around it’s directed by Marcelo Buscaino and he’s changed up a few things, mostly to positive effect. The core of Guth's production is still there. Sets and costumes have the same Ibsen/Bergman aesthetic and the unique elements – the interpolated Cherubim character, dead birds, feathers, looming shadows, unicycle etc – are all unchanged. 

That said, the mood has changed. In 2016 the production couldn’t reproduce the bleakness of the original Salzburg cast and the, arguably irreplaceable, conducting of Nikolaus Harnoncourt, but it didn’t really find a replacement for it. Now it does. Put bluntly, it’s been sexed up. There’s a lot of groping and a lot of enthusiastic action on the floor. Sometimes this is just plain funny, as in the scene where the Countess and Susanna compete rather blatantly for Cherubino’s enthusiastically supplied attention while they are dressing (or rather undressing) him as a girl. At other times it’s very creepy as, for example, in the scene where the Count and Countess are having a huge row about who is in her closet. His hands are all over her, which is weird but somehow works. The net result is both creepy and funny and pretty effective.

Perhaps one reason it works is because a rather young, attractive set of principals all sing quite beautifully, have real acting chops and are great movers, which is important in this very kinetic production. The headliner is Luca Pisaroni as Figaro, playing the manservant as a self confident fixer who isn’t quite as in control of everything as he thinks he is. It was very effective, especially set against the rather dangerous Count of Gordon Bintner. There was an “about to explode” quality about his acting which was belied by stylish singing but somehow the two just worked together. 

The ladies were perhaps even better. Lauren Fagan’s Countess trod a careful line between dignified and playful and there was true pathos in her handling of the final scene.  She also sang both “Porgi amor” and “Dove sono” absolutely gorgeously. Andrea Carroll’s high energy Susanna was a delight. Consistently fun to watch, she nailed “Deh vieni non tardar”, which got the longest and loudest ovation on opening night. Then there’s Emily Fons reprising her 2016 role as Cherubino. She’s the best Cherubino I’ve seen with an uncanny ability to capture the awkwardness of an adolescent boy. Then there’s, inevitably, Uli Kirsch as Cherubim. After almost 20 years playing the part he still managed to look like a mischievous teenager.

The supporting cast is excellent with even a touch of luxury. Robert Pomakov as a doddery Bartolo had one of the best voices in the show. There was a welcome return to the COC stage for Mireille Asselin as Barbarina and regulars Doug MacNaughton (Antonio) and Michael Colvin (Don Basilio) were joined by Megan Latham (Marcellina) and Jacques Arsenault (Don Curzio). Collectively they made a major contribution to the big ensemble numbers. The chorus did the needful and the orchestra was in fine form. Harry Bicket conducted a fairly brisk reading of the score. He relaxed where needed but overall the show seemed to go past quite fast which, I think, it needs to in this revised production concept. He also ensured that the big ensemble numbers were properly crisp.

This isn’t the original Guth/Harnoncourt fable of frustration and angst, but the revisions produce something brighter, livelier and more optimistic, although not without it’s darker moments.