The Marriage of Figaro: Scottish Opera put the focus on quality

Published on Saturday 30 October 2010 00:31

The Marriage of Figaro Theatre Royal Glasgow ****

There are absolutely no pretentions about Sir Thomas Allen's new production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro for Scottish Opera, which opened last night in Glasgow. For Allen has played it completely straight to an 18th-century setting, and focused on quality of theatre, quality of singing and thoroughly enjoyable comic entertainment.

It helps that Simon Higlett's gorgeous sets are both straightforward and stylish, allowing an assortment of vivid characterisations to command our attention and draw us into Mozart's sparkling world of farcical duplicity. Add to that Mark Jonathan's lighting teasing out miracles of detail, as well as broader atmospheric hues.

Much hinges, of course, on a cast that is evenly balanced and sharply defined. Thomas Oliemans's Figaro is warm and sure-footed. Nadine Livingston plays Susanna with a charm that is confident, yet delicate. The Count and Countess are a tour de force - the endearing chauvinism of Roderick Williams's Almaviva ultimately brought down to earth by the wistful melancholy of Kate Valentine's portrayal as his wife.

Harry Nicoll cuts a convincing and creepily camped-up Don Basilio, and Ulrike Mayer, as Cherubino, combines boyish awkwardness with a directness that is largely convincing. Leah-Marian Jones brings yet another source of interest in a Marcellina that oozes alluring duplicity.

Those brief chorus scenes are the only points in this virile production where things are in danger of standing still. Francesco Corti's musical direction, on the other hand, is so over-anxious at times, he leaves the singers gasping. Once that settles down, Scottish Opera has a fine success on its hands.