MOSCOW, ID – University of Idaho’s Lionel Hampton School of Music (LHSOM) will present Mozart’s opera “Le Nozze di Figaro” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 1, at the Hartung Theater, 625 Stadium Drive, Moscow.
This production is brought to life with the LHSOM orchestra, in collaboration with the Theatre Arts Department, promising a performance filled with humor, heart and exquisite music.
“Le Nozze di Figaro,” or “The Marriage of Figaro,” is originally set in the late 1700s, but the U of I production takes on a different interpretation of the story set as a 1990s sitcom.
“Since this opera is actually the second in a trilogy of operas, we wanted to portray the characters as if they are continuing a story into its second season,” said Elizabeth Sabata, who plays the character of Susanna.
Set against the backdrop of the Count’s mansion, Figaro and Susanna, two servants, are on the brink of their wedding when they uncover the Count’s sinister plan to exercise his feudal right and claim Susanna for himself on their wedding night. In a clever plot to thwart the Count’s intentions, they ally with the Countess and a colorful ensemble of characters, navigating a maze of deception and intrigue.
The story tackles topics such as social classes and gender roles, shedding light on subjects that led to outrage among much of Europe’s aristocracy, according to director Stefan Gordon, associate professor of voice at the LHSOM.
“Figaro is a classic bedroom comedy about love and jealousy, so it’s hard to remember that, as a play, it was banned throughout parts of Europe,” Gordon said. “When you really look at the play, however, it’s not hard to understand why. The nobility, particularly the Count, are portrayed as stupid and corrupt, constantly manipulated by their much smarter servants. To tell this story, the playwright creates an imaginary power of the nobility to have any woman on her wedding night.”
The opera also shows how societal perceptions of people, particularly women, can be much different than what is reality.
“Mozart particularly liked to call out the nobility,” Sabata said. “One of the ways this demonstrates itself is through the intelligence of the characters within the opera. For example, the lower the class you were in, the higher your intelligence. Female characters also have more intelligence than the male characters. Figaro is known as a man who is clever and resourceful, but Susanna is secretly the mastermind who adapts Figaro’s plans and maneuvers them into success.”
Tickets, which are $10 for students, seniors and children 12 and under and $12 for general admission, can be purchased at uitickets.com or at the door (card only).
For information on upcoming Lionel Hampton School of Music events, visit uidaho.edu/music.
