A Happy Union: Tradition and Youthfulness in the Fort Worth Opera’s Marriage of Figaro

The Fort Worth Opera closed their 2012 Festival on Sunday afternoon with the second of two performances of Mark Adamo’s Lysistrata, or the Nude Goddess. After hearing a strong Marriage of Figaro at the festival Friday evening, I had fairly high expectations, some of which were met, others not.

A disappointing decision to downplay the ghosts and uneven performances made for a difficult and distracting in situ staging of Britten's adaptation of the classic Henry James thriller. 

The opera can be summed up by a line sung by the Countess in Act 4: “You’re killing her with all this noise.”

New York’s three year old, wonderfully innovative On Site Opera, has scored another success with a four-performance run of Giovanni Paisiello’s 1782 Il barbiere di Siviglia. 

“Nibble, nibble, like a mouse – who is nibbling at my house?” As a preschooler, I used to giggle with glee when I would hear this quote from the wicked witch in Hansel and Gretel. No doubt the story was dark, yet Eloise Wilkin’s delightful illustrations and the touching message of brother/sister love enticed me to return frequently to this beloved tale during nightly story time.

Netia Jones’ modern reimagining intrigues more than it convinces, but still makes a strong case for Dvořák’s dark fairy tale.