The Covid Diaries 73 – Opera Holland Park, The Marriage of Figaro

A review of The Marriage of Figaro, part of the reopening season at Opera Holland Park. In which I am equal parts delighted and distracted by the indoor/outdoor setting.

Another Day, Another Mozart

I keep saying I’m no opera/classical music expert, but surely there’s a point at which I will become one if I go to enough events? Spoiler alert, I’m not there yet. But this is the second Mozart opera I’ve been to since things started reopening, so maybe I am building up my knowledge after all. The previous Mozart opera was La Clemenza di Tito at the Royal Opera House. And this most recent outing was to The Marriage of Figaro at Opera Holland Park.

I hadn’t been to Opera Holland Park for maybe a decade (wow I feel old). For those who are not familiar with it, Opera Holland Park is an annual ‘pop up’ opera in… Holland Park. Every year a marquee-style auditorium is set up on the grounds of Holland House, a ruined 17th Century country house which fell victim to WWII fire bombing. This year social distancing has been taken into account, so the marquee has good air flow, and only 40% of normal capacity.

Their 2021 season is quite varied. There is The Marriage of Figaro, obviously, and also La Traviata. Plus some lesser known operas such as The Cunning Little Vixen, and some shorter duration collaborations, such as the British Youth Orchestra performing Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck (what???). Something for everyone, I guess!

The Marriage of Figaro

But we are here to talk about The Marriage of Figaro, after all. This was my first time seeing it. I have to say I wasn’t expecting a running time of 3 hours 15 minutes. But to successfully set up and unravel that many disguises and misunderstandings, I guess it takes four acts!

If you’re not familiar with the story, it takes place in Spain, near Seville. There’s a Count and a Countess, and Figaro and Susanna who are hoping to get married. The Count, however, quite fancies Susanna and has decided to revive the droit de seigneur (ew…). Plus everyone is in love with everyone else. There’s quite a bit of hiding and getting caught, and dressing up as other people. Like La Clemenza di Tito, there’s a castrato role now played by a woman (and some bawdy humour based on the castrato being quite a randy character). The whole thing is very fun and all works out well in the end.

Even though this is the only production of The Marriage of Figaro I have seen, I thought it was very good. The setting is quite intimate, with a large stage apron projecting into the audience and the cast making full use of the space. There were wonderful performances, particularly from Nardus Williams as the Countess. It’s a slightly thankless role as she spends the whole opera being sad or worried, but she sang it beautifully. I rather liked the hysterical gardener Antonio as well, played by Henry Grant Kerswell.

Classic Yet Modern

The Marriage of Figaro has a vibe like that Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette – mostly period, but with a twist. In Opera Holland Park’s case, the twist comes in bright flourishes on the costumes, a mic drop, and some fun (no contact) dancing. Brilliant costume design by takis, who was also responsible for the set design. I was thinking Takis like the kinetic sculpture artist Takis, but this takis is different. Probably not the best idea to go by such a similar one-word name when you work in similar industries? But kudos nonetheless.

And as far as the rest goes, my experience of watching the opera was one of highs and lows. Highs – the 400 seats in the auditorium are recycled opera props. They look great! Lows – not quite ergonomic enough for 3 hours of sitting… Highs – it is very pleasant looking out the side of the auditorium at a summer evening, hearing birds, a cricket match, etc. Lows – it was also quite distracting: especially when it started raining or I could see a scuttling mouse out of the corner of my eye. Highs – I loved the sloping stage with an apron at the front and orchestra in the middle. Very dynamic and fun. Lows – from our seats way at the side, we couldn’t actually look at the cast and read the surtitles at the same time. OHP need to put some screens at the side too.

Final Thoughts on The Marriage of Figaro

It was lovely to be back at Opera Holland Park after such a long absence. Overall it’s well built to be an ‘outdoor’ space suitable for the British weather (and thank goodness because it tipped it down during the second half). This is a classic of the opera canon freshened up with new takes on set and costumes and playful performances.

It was not The Marriage of Figaro’s fault that I was struggling with my attention span by the end. A lot of that was to do with the rain, with rivulets encroaching ever closer. I also just need to continue to build up my opera knowledge so I can truly appreciate more of the nuances. But even with those caveats, it is a lovely way to spend a summer’s evening – in a park, glass of wine in hand, watching a top notch opera performance. And not something we should take for granted any longer.

On its own merits: 3.5/5
Implementing Covid measures: 3.5/5

The Marriage of Figaro on until 28 June 2021

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