If you find opera to be boring, you will feel differently after watching The Essential Marriage Of Figaro. This short English adaptation of Mozart's opera, The Marriage Of Figaro, will open the Bangkok Community Theatre (BCT)'s 2020 season, and promises to be a fun-filled evening of antics and deception.
The Essential Marriage Of Figaro will be staged at the British Club on March 6, 7, 13 and 14 as dinner theatre. Presented as a studio production with six singers performing the madcap comic opera that will have all of the famous music and arias from the original work.
During his lifetime, Mozart composed more than 600 works, and is among the most popular of classical composers.
The Marriage Of Figaro continues the plot of The Barber Of Seville several years later, and recounts a single "day of madness" in the palace of Count Almaviva near Seville, Spain. Rosina is now the Countess. Count Almaviva is a bullying, skirt-chasing baritone. Having gratefully given Figaro a job as head of his servant-staff, he is now persistently trying to exercise his droit du seigneur -- his right to bed a servant girl on her wedding night -- with Figaro's bride-to-be, Susanna, who is the Countess' maid. He keeps finding excuses to delay the civil part of the wedding of his two servants, which is arranged for this very day.
A group of performers representing Canada, England, Japan and Thailand, are taking the stage. Heading the cast in the title role of Figaro is Nicholas Irvine who performed in the BCT's production of the Twelfth Night and Snow White. His stage work includes The Little Mermaid, 9 To 5 -- The Musical, Chicago and Fame. His romantic interest is the character Susanna played by Emma Slattery, a native of Thailand and was last seen in the BCTs Fatal Loins at the Fringe Festival 2019.
Canadian Derek Chan is singing the role of Count Almaviva. He has performed in several films and local theatre. He was last seen in The Plunger Of Truth as an alien in the BCT's Fringe Festival 2019. Singing the role of Countess Rosina Almaviva is Tae Miyata, a current member of Grand Opera Thailand who is making her theatre debut with the BCT. She has performed in various opera productions.
The role of Cherubina is played by Hanae Matsumura from Japan, who has performed for over 10 years in operas, musicals and plays in her home country. This marks her first time performing with the BCT. Completing the cast as Basilio is Joseph Roberts. He grew up in musical theatre and has performed in regional theatre productions of Les Miserable, Guys And Dolls, Titanic and numerous others. Roberts last performed for the BCT at the 2019 Fringe.
Director Ian Robinson, who adapted this version, is well known with the BCT as he directed a number of pantos (Aladdin, Snow White) as well as the comedy Up Pompeii. Tony Newman is the musical director and has participated in a number of BCT productions over the years. He brings a history of music from different shows and musicals that he has performed with, including The Marriage Of Figaro. Simon Green is serving as the assistant musical director. He is a native of the United Kingdom where he started his musical career. He has conducted Bach's Magnificat In D Major in Panama, Gilbert & Sullivan's Trial By Jury in Abu Dhabi and the production of Once On This Island for the BCT.
The Essential Marriage Of Figaro will be sung in English. Tickets are 1,200 baht (including a three-course buffet dinner). Tickets are available at bangkokcommunitytheatre.com.
