An evening filled with disguises, mischief and mayhem sounds like a typical Halloween night for a college student, but tonight the Pacific Repertory Opera presents “The Marriage of Figaro,” which will offer all of this and more.
“The Marriage of Figaro is best fit for Halloween because the entire story is about disguises and deceit,” said Brighton Hushing-Kline, assistant to the managing director at the Pacific Repertory Opera. “It’s a great way to start the evening.”
“The Marriage of Figaro” (Le nozze di Figaro) is an 18th century Italian comic opera, one of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s most famous works.
“Opera is where classical composition in its best form meets vocal composition in its best form,” Brighton Hushing-Kline said. “An opera singer is trained so well in (his or her) voice.”
The opera will take place in the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center as the first opera of the season, for two nights only. The evening will begin with a lecture before the show by artistic director Robert Ashens, which will give audience members a history, storyline and profile of characters.
“He does it in such a way that you’re connected to the opera by coming to the pre-show talk,” Mikele Hushing-Kline, managing director at the Pacific Repertory Opera said.
Figaro, a barber and valet for the Count, is to wed Susanna, who is the handmaid to the Countess. Chaos erupts when the Count chases Susanna and the maid Marcellina chases Figaro. To add to the chaos, teenage Cherubino chases after any female. According to the Pacific Repertory Opera Web site, the plot revolves around eavesdropping, gossiping, closet hiding and window jumping.
“It’s really funny,” said Brighton Hushing-Kline.
“The director may know opera really well, but he also knows a younger audience really well,” he said. “The opera is funny, well-staged, the costumes are great, and the sets are beautiful.”
Although the opera will be performed in Italian to preserve the originality and rhyme scheme, which would be difficult to retain in an English translation, audience members will have no trouble understanding, thanks to the subtitles.
Some students from Cal Poly will be performing in the show. Cal Poly music major Kristen Choi will perform as one of the lead characters, Barbarina. Other students’ roles range from peasant girls to singing in the chorus.
“The Marriage of Figaro” will debut at 8 p.m. today and tomorrow in the Performing Arts Center. The pre-show talk will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12.50-$32.50 with a student ID.