FIGARO
REVIEWS
THE PEARL THEATRE COMPANY
October-December, 2012
The New York Times
CRITIC''S PICK:
“Figaro”… The playwright Charles Morey rescues Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais’ late-18th century comedy “The Marriage of Figaro” from the shadow of its more celebrated operatic incarnation with this witty new adaptation for the Pearl Theater Company, inaugurating the classical troupe’s new home on West 42nd Street. Directed with a light touch and an infectious wink by Hal Brooks, the farce takes aim at ruling-class entitlement just as surely today as it did in pre-Revolution France. The energetic ensemble is led by Sean McNall and Jolly Abraham as the crafty servant Figaro and his bride-to-be, and Chris Mixon as the lascivious Count determined to get a piece of pre-wedding action (2:10). Pearl Theater, 555 West 42nd Street, Clinton, (212) 563-9261, pearltheatre.org. (Rooney)
Mr. Morey strikes a deft balance between the popular theater in the age of this work’s setting and a more modern sensibility, flavoring the witty dialogue with just the right infusion of contemporary idioms and mannerisms. Beaumarchais's mischievous skewering of the aristocracy caused Louis XVI to ban performances until 1784, six years after the play was written. Mr. Morey's mockery of ruling-class entitlement rekindles that irreverence while also getting in some amusing swipes about the battle of the sexes…¦tart and funny…the farce takes aim at ruling-class entitlement just as surely today as it did in pre-Revolution France." ... Commissioned by the Pearl as the inaugural presentation in its new home on West 42nd Street, Charles Moreys spry adaptation of “ The Marriage of Figaro” taps its 21st-century parallels with a nimble hand.
The New York Times
NEW YORK (AP) Review: Satire "Figaro" is irreverent, gleeful fun. Figaro was a character who spoke truth to power, with sharp humor as his best weapon. Thanks to playwright Charles Morey, we're seeing his "Figaro-ian schemes" in a fresh light, in the Pearl Theatre Company's sprightly presentation of Morey's witty, irreverent send-up, titled simply, "Figaro." ... Morey adapted his quip-laden script from the original 18th-century social comedy by Beaumarchais, "Le Mariage de Figaro." The Pearl's broadly comical production, the first in their new off-Broadway home on far west 42nd Street, opened Sunday night in a well-acted, richly-costumed and colorful staging....Morey has peppered traditional dialogue with interjections of modern humor, neatly balanced by director Hal Brooks' keen eye for farcical takes, both verbal and physical. Musing about a dark moment in his past, Figaro recalls, "The only way out was to join them and become a banker, a lawyer or a stockbroker. I took the only honorable path and became a thief."
This "Figaro" is gleeful fun, and signals an auspicious start to The Pearl''s 29th season of presenting great plays from the classical repertory.
Associated Press
"Charles Morey's saucy and sassy script is not a literal translation and cheerfully acknowledges the more famous opera as well as the fact that we are watching a play. The title scamp often turns to the audience and includes us in his mischievous plans. In addition, there are numerous indirect references to our current political situation, with Figaro snidely railing against the one-percent elite of 18th-century France in the person of his master, the vain and pompous Count Almaviva."
BackStage.
A NOISE WITHIN
March - May, 2015
L.A. Times "Critic's Choice"
18th-century subversion meets Larry David lunacy in this effortlessly buoyant adaptation of Beaumarchais'' classic account of one crazy day at the Almavivas. Director Michael Michetti's innate sense of creative anachronism neatly dovetails with Charles Morey's witty, rococo text, and his engaging cast embraces the mischief and mayhem without a weak link, resulting in a knee-slapping blast.
L.A TIMES (David C. Nichols)
A ''Figaro'' that crackles and pops at A Noise Within
Eighteenth century subversion meets Larry David lunacy in “Figaro” at A Noise Within. Ingenuity permeates this buoyant adaptation of Beaumarchais’ classic account of one crazy day at the Almavivas', circa 1784 or 2015, take your pick. That’s because author Charles Morey’s translation, receiving its West Coast premiere, is totally faithful to Beaumarchais’ narrative convolutions while giving its satire of class distinctions, economic inequity and aristocratic privilege a thoroughly modern spin. Director Michael Michetti’s innate sense of creative anachronism, which went slightly askew with “The Importance of Being Earnest” earlier in the season, here neatly dovetails with Morey’s witty, rococo text, which makes the political irreverence and farcical character business crackle. Michetti has assembled a sharp design team, including Jeanine A. Ringer’s resourceful industrial baroque settings, Adam Frank’s ambient lights and Robert Oriol’s pop-wacky riffs on Rossini’s “Barber of Seville” tunes. Angela Balogh Calin’s era-skewed costumes and Gieselle Blair’s wigs are a show in themselves. Similarly, his engaging cast embraces the mischief and mayhem without a weak link. Jeremy Guskin and Angela Sauer are well matched, he brash, she wily, as Figaro and Suzanne, giving their maneuvers to subvert his boss’s plans to seduce her on their wedding night an escalating comic velocity. As rapacious Count Almaviva, Andrew Ross Wynn is both a legitimate threat and a tickling hoot, and Elyse Mirto embodies Countess Almaviva’s travails and counter-schemes with a delicious blend of daft and empathetic. Local treasures Alan Blumenfeld and Jeanne Sakata make mincemeat of Dr. Bartholo and Marceline, especially riotous at the tribunal to stake her claim on Figaro. The wonderful Will Bradley plays sex-besotted page Cherubin -- a role traditionally done en travesti by women since Mozart's immortal operatic take -- with a priceless randy-loopy attack, doubling as droll jurist Doublemain. Joshua Wolf Coleman’s triple-role expertise and Natalie De Luna’s dizzy Fanchette complete an ensemble that knows just how far to push for laughs and gets them, resulting in a knee-slapping blast. DAVID C. NICHOLS, L.A. TIMES
"FIGARO" Rating: Five Stars. Chock full of fun A Noise Within’s production of “Figaro” is a fast-paced, colorful and witty romp in the finest French farce tradition. Freely adapted by Charles Morey from Beaumarchais’ “The Marriage of Figaro” this west coast premiere keeps true to the original, but with a modern sensibility that emphasizes the timelessness of its themes... A MUST SEE - THE EXAMINER
Morey’s work is not a new translation of the original French script, but rather an updated adaptation. And boy, is it funny!... This production is sure to be remembered as one of the funniest of 2015. Don’t miss it! - ROB STEVENS, HAINES HIS WAY
"French Farce Done Right... Now, at A Noise Within in Pasadena, Charles Morey’s admittedly loose adaptation of Beaumarchais’ “Figaro”, seems destined to be a solid hit. It’s just that funny... Indeed, this wry Figaro proves almost contemporary in his humor, perhaps because Morey readily admits “freely adapting” the older tale to meet the tastes of a modern sensibility...”Figaro” is the one to come and laugh at, and with. So do it.
PASADENA INDEPENDENT
Morey keeps the spirit of the original work, but presents a play perfectly palatable for contemporary audiences...Morey’s Figaro pulls us in and leads us through a play that does not seek to improve upon Beaumarchais’ original work, but to transport us in a way so that we may experience the story fully...The farce and wit of the story and rendering is enough reason to see the show. The acting and intelligent direction push the play to the realm of delight. And the design and playful opulence are the theatrical cherry on top....Tremendous. RECOMMENDED
Vanessa Cate
STAGE RAW
WOW! The very first West Coast staging of a 2012 World Premiere may not be what folks expect from A Noise Within given the company’s usual slate of Shakespeare, Shaw, Racine, Moliere, and other long-deceased playwrights, but that is precisely what California’s Home For The Classics now offers its audiences in Charles Morey’s “Figaro”, the frothiest, funniest, most farcical romp I’ve yet seen at ANW.
True, Morey’s English-language French farce is freely adapted from Beaumarchais’ 1785 comedy Le Mariage De Figaro, which itself was the basis of Mozart’s 1786 opera of the same name, so it’s got its classical creds, but Morey’s adaptation owes more to French farceur par excellence Marc Camoletti than the old masters, and as directed for ANW by Michael Michetti, there’s a good deal of Marx Brothers, Carol Burnett, Mel Brooks, and even Laugh-In-style humor thrown in for good (and by good I mean hilarious) measure.
Le Mariage in question is that of Barber-Of-Seville-turned-steward-of-Count-Almaviva Figaro (Jeremy Guskin) to fellow servant Suzanne (Angela Sauer), nuptials that can only be celebrated once the approval of our hero’s employer Monsieur Le Compte (Andrew Ross Wynn) has been secured, his signature finalizing the couple’s engagement and facilitating their wedding post-haste, as in tomorrow morning.
There’s only one hitch. (Actually there are quite a few, but this one is the biggest.) Not only does Count Almaviva have his roving eye set on gardener’s daughter Fanchette (Natalie De Luna), he lusts for Suzanne as well, just one hint that the Count’s marriage to Rosine (Elyse Mirto), brought about by none other than Figaro in Le Barbier de Saville, might be on shaky ground.
Other characters include Doctor Bartholo (Alan Blumenfeld), a pompous old sort who still can’t forgive Figaro for having facilitated his ward Rosine’s marriage to the Count when it was he who hoped to wed and/or bed her; aging, man-hungry housekeeper Marceline (Jeanne Sakata), who’d like nothing better than to marry Figaro herself; pixyish Cherubin (Will Bradley), the object of the Countess’ affection, a boy so “in love with love” that he’d be happy to fool around with just about any member of the opposite sex; and a trio of roles brought to life by Joshua Wolf Coleman: foppish music teacher Bazile, rustic gardener (and Fanchette’s father) Antonio, and Bridoison, a judge who has pr-pr-pr-problems with his p’s.
In time-honored French-farce tradition, this 18th-century-set bonbon features the very same elements that made Camoletti’s “Don’t Dress For Dinner” and “Boeing-Boeing” 1960s and 80s delights. There are doors galore (I counted at least five), plenty of hiding spots behind them (and under the sofa), quite a few assumed (and mistaken) identities, several devilishly clever plots and schemes, and a bit of cross-dressing thrown in for good measure.
In addition, though Figaro’s setting may be pre-French-Revolutionary, playwright Morey’s brand of humor could not have a more contemporary flair to it. Give me lines like Suzanne’s “Ah, Marceline, so bitter and yet so old” or Cherubin’s (looking at the dress he’s been asked to don) “I don’t think pink is my color. I’m more of an autumn”. Ask me to keep a straight face, and in the immortal words of some Soprano or other, “Fuhgeddaboudit.”
Comedies don’t get much more meta than “Figaro”, whose hero not only breaks the fourth wall to chat with us, he’s well aware that we are all of us in a theater and that what’s happening around him is a play based on a classic or two in which he takes on the principal role. For example, when recalling his days as a barber in Seville, Figaro wisecracks, “It would take an Italian opera to describe it.” Later, when Fanchette comments, “They kept shouting ‘Figaro this and Figaro that, Figaro, Figaro, Fiii-garo”, the Figaro in question quips to the audience, “You could sing that if you had a tune.”
With the brilliant Michetti in the director’s chair, each and every cast member is on the same deliciously over-the-top page, and though this page may be too over-the-top for some, it suited this reviewer quite nicely indeed, thank you. Cross Groucho Marx and Gene Wilder and you have some idea of the comic mastery displayed by Guskin as the cheeky, zinger-flinging, schemer that is Figaro. Mirto’s breathy-voiced Barbie-doll of a Countess and Sauer’s saucy, sassy Suzanne both display comedic chops, million-dollar legs, and an ability at mimicry that earn audience oohs, aahs, and applause.
Bradley could hardly make for a more appealingly frisky Cherubin, whether in flowered trousers or polka-dotted frock, in addition to his amusing cameo as jurist Doublemain.
Wynn’s mountain of a Count steals scenes right and left as does his Cowardly Lion post-dye-job mane, and Sakata’s booming-voiced Marceline reveals the L.A. treasure’s comic gifts as never before.
Speaking of L.A. treasures, they don’t get any more valued than Bluemenfeld, whose Dr. Bartholo is another polished gem.
Last but not least is Coleman’s one-two-three punch of a supporting star turn as three characters so distinctly rendered, you’d almost swear it was three different actors onstage. Coleman’s watermelon scene as Antonio is a particular treat, and you’d better keep your distance whenever Judge Bridoison spits out his latest pr-pr-pronouncement, that is if you can keep a straight face while shielding your face from the spray.
Scenic designer Jeanine A. Ringer’s set and Erin Walley’s imaginative props give Figaro a just-right baroque look under Adam Frank’s striking lighting design, with sound designer Robert Oriol’s original music composition upping the farcical froth and then some, in addition to underscoring several choreographed scene changes that deserve their own round of applause. Most cheer-worthy of all are costume designer extraordinaire Angela Balogh Calin’s supremely imaginative mashup of the late 1780s, the mid 2010s, and assorted eras in-between, with special snaps for Rosine’s Ab-Fab Vegas-showgirl ensemble, Figaro and the Count’s rich brocades, and Suzanne’s 1950s-inspired petticoat skirts and saddle shoes/bobby sox. And let’s not forget Gieselle Blair’s fantastically fanciful hair, wig, and makeup design, her Countess Rosine’s do reminding us that Marie Antoinette was Queen when Le Mariage De Figaro debuted.
When a theater company for whom “recent” usually means “Come Back Little Sheba” “Picnic”, or “The Price” stages a 2012 comedy like Figaro, the choice is so contemporary, it seems positively futuristic by comparison with A Noise Within’s accustomed slate of shows.
Stage Scene L.A.
HOPE SUMMER REPERTORY THEATRE - JUNE 2022
'Figaro' is a Delightfully Charming Farce...
When Charles Morey adapted Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais’ 18th Century “The Marriage of Figaro,” best known as a Mozart opera, in 2012, it was a success at least in part for how it reshaped the original farce, a wicked satire of the French aristocracy, to speak to the Occupy Wall Street moment.
Ten years later, the world has been transformed by the pressing shame and pain brought to light by Blacks Lives Matter, #metoo, and that little old global pandemic turned endemic; and we who are not of the one percent are acutely feeling the economic pinch of inflation the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades.
Given all that, is a sex farce created for a very different time and place relevant? Are the pursuits of pleasures by white men in power at the expense of those subject to their power something to laugh at? Is there still a place for the old gender-bending tropes and stock characters of the classic commedia dell’arte in 2022?
In short, when done as deftly as Hope Summer Repertory’s new production of “Figaro”, with a marvelously funny ensemble directed with joyful aplomb by Demetria Thomas, the answer is yes.
Because when have we needed to laugh out loud with abandon more than at this moment?
The story revolves around Figaro and his fiancée Suzanne who is fighting off the unwanted advances of the Count, who ultimately decides whether or not the two can marry. “What could go wrong?” is oft repeated as they, with others, scheme to foil the Count; and ridiculous complications, questions of fidelity, and instances of mistaken identity arise.
The outlandish situations are matched by the most delightfully cartoonish characters and larger-than-life performances that evade even the slightest hint of caricature while inspiring genuine belly laughs, often from surprising moments of seemingly spontaneous physical comedy.
Doors slam, men dressed as women jump out of windows, those hiding from one another slip beneath and atop furniture and roll through the garden; a mere cloak is enough to trick men of their wives’ identities, and secrets slip out plain as day despite the best efforts of terrible fools. The worst cads ultimately learn the most important lessons at the hands of the women they’re trying to cheat. Because it’s those brilliant women who, by surreptitiously joining forces, hold all the cards.
Patrick Poole’s incredibly likable Figaro is infinitely clever, witty, and sassy, with impeccable timing. His energy is matched by Molly Van Pelt’s smart Suzanne who drives much of the plot with Violet Wang’s Countess. Though it’s Jesse James Kamps’ Count who righteously earns the biggest laughs, often with his facial gestures alone. Adam Chamness also provides some terrific comic moments as Cherbin, and Daniel Alexander Rivera gives inspired, nuanced performances as three different hilarious characters. Every moment is high energy and pitch perfect with this cast.
And in addition to the terrific talent (and smart writing), what makes this satire work so well here is we get to look at and make fun of that which has become taboo in a way that’s made especially satisfying when those who have historically been excluded from the storytelling are now front and center. Politics, including identity politics, is quietly turned on its head in the text and with this company driven by people of color as a matter of course.
It’s also visually rich thanks to gloriously gilded, embroidered, corseted and otherwise embellished costumes designed by Anthony Paul-Cavaretta (assisted by Emmaline Fitzgerald and Bayden Hoblitzell) and Gaby Castillo’s appropriately ornate-looking yet relatively simple to maneuver set lit by Zack Saunders on the tiny yet wonderfully full Knickerbocker stage.
HSRT’s “Figaro” is so charming, intelligent, and silly it’s bound to win over even the weariest and most jaded audience members, making relevant that which could be dated and using it to create comedy as the highest, and perhaps most necessary, of arts.
REVUE - West Michigan's Arts & Entertainment Guide
Marin Heinritz
October-December, 2012
The New York Times
CRITIC''S PICK:
“Figaro”… The playwright Charles Morey rescues Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais’ late-18th century comedy “The Marriage of Figaro” from the shadow of its more celebrated operatic incarnation with this witty new adaptation for the Pearl Theater Company, inaugurating the classical troupe’s new home on West 42nd Street. Directed with a light touch and an infectious wink by Hal Brooks, the farce takes aim at ruling-class entitlement just as surely today as it did in pre-Revolution France. The energetic ensemble is led by Sean McNall and Jolly Abraham as the crafty servant Figaro and his bride-to-be, and Chris Mixon as the lascivious Count determined to get a piece of pre-wedding action (2:10). Pearl Theater, 555 West 42nd Street, Clinton, (212) 563-9261, pearltheatre.org. (Rooney)
Mr. Morey strikes a deft balance between the popular theater in the age of this work’s setting and a more modern sensibility, flavoring the witty dialogue with just the right infusion of contemporary idioms and mannerisms. Beaumarchais's mischievous skewering of the aristocracy caused Louis XVI to ban performances until 1784, six years after the play was written. Mr. Morey's mockery of ruling-class entitlement rekindles that irreverence while also getting in some amusing swipes about the battle of the sexes…¦tart and funny…the farce takes aim at ruling-class entitlement just as surely today as it did in pre-Revolution France." ... Commissioned by the Pearl as the inaugural presentation in its new home on West 42nd Street, Charles Moreys spry adaptation of “ The Marriage of Figaro” taps its 21st-century parallels with a nimble hand.
The New York Times
NEW YORK (AP) Review: Satire "Figaro" is irreverent, gleeful fun. Figaro was a character who spoke truth to power, with sharp humor as his best weapon. Thanks to playwright Charles Morey, we're seeing his "Figaro-ian schemes" in a fresh light, in the Pearl Theatre Company's sprightly presentation of Morey's witty, irreverent send-up, titled simply, "Figaro." ... Morey adapted his quip-laden script from the original 18th-century social comedy by Beaumarchais, "Le Mariage de Figaro." The Pearl's broadly comical production, the first in their new off-Broadway home on far west 42nd Street, opened Sunday night in a well-acted, richly-costumed and colorful staging....Morey has peppered traditional dialogue with interjections of modern humor, neatly balanced by director Hal Brooks' keen eye for farcical takes, both verbal and physical. Musing about a dark moment in his past, Figaro recalls, "The only way out was to join them and become a banker, a lawyer or a stockbroker. I took the only honorable path and became a thief."
This "Figaro" is gleeful fun, and signals an auspicious start to The Pearl''s 29th season of presenting great plays from the classical repertory.
Associated Press
"Charles Morey's saucy and sassy script is not a literal translation and cheerfully acknowledges the more famous opera as well as the fact that we are watching a play. The title scamp often turns to the audience and includes us in his mischievous plans. In addition, there are numerous indirect references to our current political situation, with Figaro snidely railing against the one-percent elite of 18th-century France in the person of his master, the vain and pompous Count Almaviva."
BackStage.
A NOISE WITHIN
March - May, 2015
L.A. Times "Critic's Choice"
18th-century subversion meets Larry David lunacy in this effortlessly buoyant adaptation of Beaumarchais'' classic account of one crazy day at the Almavivas. Director Michael Michetti's innate sense of creative anachronism neatly dovetails with Charles Morey's witty, rococo text, and his engaging cast embraces the mischief and mayhem without a weak link, resulting in a knee-slapping blast.
L.A TIMES (David C. Nichols)
A ''Figaro'' that crackles and pops at A Noise Within
Eighteenth century subversion meets Larry David lunacy in “Figaro” at A Noise Within. Ingenuity permeates this buoyant adaptation of Beaumarchais’ classic account of one crazy day at the Almavivas', circa 1784 or 2015, take your pick. That’s because author Charles Morey’s translation, receiving its West Coast premiere, is totally faithful to Beaumarchais’ narrative convolutions while giving its satire of class distinctions, economic inequity and aristocratic privilege a thoroughly modern spin. Director Michael Michetti’s innate sense of creative anachronism, which went slightly askew with “The Importance of Being Earnest” earlier in the season, here neatly dovetails with Morey’s witty, rococo text, which makes the political irreverence and farcical character business crackle. Michetti has assembled a sharp design team, including Jeanine A. Ringer’s resourceful industrial baroque settings, Adam Frank’s ambient lights and Robert Oriol’s pop-wacky riffs on Rossini’s “Barber of Seville” tunes. Angela Balogh Calin’s era-skewed costumes and Gieselle Blair’s wigs are a show in themselves. Similarly, his engaging cast embraces the mischief and mayhem without a weak link. Jeremy Guskin and Angela Sauer are well matched, he brash, she wily, as Figaro and Suzanne, giving their maneuvers to subvert his boss’s plans to seduce her on their wedding night an escalating comic velocity. As rapacious Count Almaviva, Andrew Ross Wynn is both a legitimate threat and a tickling hoot, and Elyse Mirto embodies Countess Almaviva’s travails and counter-schemes with a delicious blend of daft and empathetic. Local treasures Alan Blumenfeld and Jeanne Sakata make mincemeat of Dr. Bartholo and Marceline, especially riotous at the tribunal to stake her claim on Figaro. The wonderful Will Bradley plays sex-besotted page Cherubin -- a role traditionally done en travesti by women since Mozart's immortal operatic take -- with a priceless randy-loopy attack, doubling as droll jurist Doublemain. Joshua Wolf Coleman’s triple-role expertise and Natalie De Luna’s dizzy Fanchette complete an ensemble that knows just how far to push for laughs and gets them, resulting in a knee-slapping blast. DAVID C. NICHOLS, L.A. TIMES
"FIGARO" Rating: Five Stars. Chock full of fun A Noise Within’s production of “Figaro” is a fast-paced, colorful and witty romp in the finest French farce tradition. Freely adapted by Charles Morey from Beaumarchais’ “The Marriage of Figaro” this west coast premiere keeps true to the original, but with a modern sensibility that emphasizes the timelessness of its themes... A MUST SEE - THE EXAMINER
Morey’s work is not a new translation of the original French script, but rather an updated adaptation. And boy, is it funny!... This production is sure to be remembered as one of the funniest of 2015. Don’t miss it! - ROB STEVENS, HAINES HIS WAY
"French Farce Done Right... Now, at A Noise Within in Pasadena, Charles Morey’s admittedly loose adaptation of Beaumarchais’ “Figaro”, seems destined to be a solid hit. It’s just that funny... Indeed, this wry Figaro proves almost contemporary in his humor, perhaps because Morey readily admits “freely adapting” the older tale to meet the tastes of a modern sensibility...”Figaro” is the one to come and laugh at, and with. So do it.
PASADENA INDEPENDENT
Morey keeps the spirit of the original work, but presents a play perfectly palatable for contemporary audiences...Morey’s Figaro pulls us in and leads us through a play that does not seek to improve upon Beaumarchais’ original work, but to transport us in a way so that we may experience the story fully...The farce and wit of the story and rendering is enough reason to see the show. The acting and intelligent direction push the play to the realm of delight. And the design and playful opulence are the theatrical cherry on top....Tremendous. RECOMMENDED
Vanessa Cate
STAGE RAW
WOW! The very first West Coast staging of a 2012 World Premiere may not be what folks expect from A Noise Within given the company’s usual slate of Shakespeare, Shaw, Racine, Moliere, and other long-deceased playwrights, but that is precisely what California’s Home For The Classics now offers its audiences in Charles Morey’s “Figaro”, the frothiest, funniest, most farcical romp I’ve yet seen at ANW.
True, Morey’s English-language French farce is freely adapted from Beaumarchais’ 1785 comedy Le Mariage De Figaro, which itself was the basis of Mozart’s 1786 opera of the same name, so it’s got its classical creds, but Morey’s adaptation owes more to French farceur par excellence Marc Camoletti than the old masters, and as directed for ANW by Michael Michetti, there’s a good deal of Marx Brothers, Carol Burnett, Mel Brooks, and even Laugh-In-style humor thrown in for good (and by good I mean hilarious) measure.
Le Mariage in question is that of Barber-Of-Seville-turned-steward-of-Count-Almaviva Figaro (Jeremy Guskin) to fellow servant Suzanne (Angela Sauer), nuptials that can only be celebrated once the approval of our hero’s employer Monsieur Le Compte (Andrew Ross Wynn) has been secured, his signature finalizing the couple’s engagement and facilitating their wedding post-haste, as in tomorrow morning.
There’s only one hitch. (Actually there are quite a few, but this one is the biggest.) Not only does Count Almaviva have his roving eye set on gardener’s daughter Fanchette (Natalie De Luna), he lusts for Suzanne as well, just one hint that the Count’s marriage to Rosine (Elyse Mirto), brought about by none other than Figaro in Le Barbier de Saville, might be on shaky ground.
Other characters include Doctor Bartholo (Alan Blumenfeld), a pompous old sort who still can’t forgive Figaro for having facilitated his ward Rosine’s marriage to the Count when it was he who hoped to wed and/or bed her; aging, man-hungry housekeeper Marceline (Jeanne Sakata), who’d like nothing better than to marry Figaro herself; pixyish Cherubin (Will Bradley), the object of the Countess’ affection, a boy so “in love with love” that he’d be happy to fool around with just about any member of the opposite sex; and a trio of roles brought to life by Joshua Wolf Coleman: foppish music teacher Bazile, rustic gardener (and Fanchette’s father) Antonio, and Bridoison, a judge who has pr-pr-pr-problems with his p’s.
In time-honored French-farce tradition, this 18th-century-set bonbon features the very same elements that made Camoletti’s “Don’t Dress For Dinner” and “Boeing-Boeing” 1960s and 80s delights. There are doors galore (I counted at least five), plenty of hiding spots behind them (and under the sofa), quite a few assumed (and mistaken) identities, several devilishly clever plots and schemes, and a bit of cross-dressing thrown in for good measure.
In addition, though Figaro’s setting may be pre-French-Revolutionary, playwright Morey’s brand of humor could not have a more contemporary flair to it. Give me lines like Suzanne’s “Ah, Marceline, so bitter and yet so old” or Cherubin’s (looking at the dress he’s been asked to don) “I don’t think pink is my color. I’m more of an autumn”. Ask me to keep a straight face, and in the immortal words of some Soprano or other, “Fuhgeddaboudit.”
Comedies don’t get much more meta than “Figaro”, whose hero not only breaks the fourth wall to chat with us, he’s well aware that we are all of us in a theater and that what’s happening around him is a play based on a classic or two in which he takes on the principal role. For example, when recalling his days as a barber in Seville, Figaro wisecracks, “It would take an Italian opera to describe it.” Later, when Fanchette comments, “They kept shouting ‘Figaro this and Figaro that, Figaro, Figaro, Fiii-garo”, the Figaro in question quips to the audience, “You could sing that if you had a tune.”
With the brilliant Michetti in the director’s chair, each and every cast member is on the same deliciously over-the-top page, and though this page may be too over-the-top for some, it suited this reviewer quite nicely indeed, thank you. Cross Groucho Marx and Gene Wilder and you have some idea of the comic mastery displayed by Guskin as the cheeky, zinger-flinging, schemer that is Figaro. Mirto’s breathy-voiced Barbie-doll of a Countess and Sauer’s saucy, sassy Suzanne both display comedic chops, million-dollar legs, and an ability at mimicry that earn audience oohs, aahs, and applause.
Bradley could hardly make for a more appealingly frisky Cherubin, whether in flowered trousers or polka-dotted frock, in addition to his amusing cameo as jurist Doublemain.
Wynn’s mountain of a Count steals scenes right and left as does his Cowardly Lion post-dye-job mane, and Sakata’s booming-voiced Marceline reveals the L.A. treasure’s comic gifts as never before.
Speaking of L.A. treasures, they don’t get any more valued than Bluemenfeld, whose Dr. Bartholo is another polished gem.
Last but not least is Coleman’s one-two-three punch of a supporting star turn as three characters so distinctly rendered, you’d almost swear it was three different actors onstage. Coleman’s watermelon scene as Antonio is a particular treat, and you’d better keep your distance whenever Judge Bridoison spits out his latest pr-pr-pronouncement, that is if you can keep a straight face while shielding your face from the spray.
Scenic designer Jeanine A. Ringer’s set and Erin Walley’s imaginative props give Figaro a just-right baroque look under Adam Frank’s striking lighting design, with sound designer Robert Oriol’s original music composition upping the farcical froth and then some, in addition to underscoring several choreographed scene changes that deserve their own round of applause. Most cheer-worthy of all are costume designer extraordinaire Angela Balogh Calin’s supremely imaginative mashup of the late 1780s, the mid 2010s, and assorted eras in-between, with special snaps for Rosine’s Ab-Fab Vegas-showgirl ensemble, Figaro and the Count’s rich brocades, and Suzanne’s 1950s-inspired petticoat skirts and saddle shoes/bobby sox. And let’s not forget Gieselle Blair’s fantastically fanciful hair, wig, and makeup design, her Countess Rosine’s do reminding us that Marie Antoinette was Queen when Le Mariage De Figaro debuted.
When a theater company for whom “recent” usually means “Come Back Little Sheba” “Picnic”, or “The Price” stages a 2012 comedy like Figaro, the choice is so contemporary, it seems positively futuristic by comparison with A Noise Within’s accustomed slate of shows.
Stage Scene L.A.
HOPE SUMMER REPERTORY THEATRE - JUNE 2022
'Figaro' is a Delightfully Charming Farce...
When Charles Morey adapted Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais’ 18th Century “The Marriage of Figaro,” best known as a Mozart opera, in 2012, it was a success at least in part for how it reshaped the original farce, a wicked satire of the French aristocracy, to speak to the Occupy Wall Street moment.
Ten years later, the world has been transformed by the pressing shame and pain brought to light by Blacks Lives Matter, #metoo, and that little old global pandemic turned endemic; and we who are not of the one percent are acutely feeling the economic pinch of inflation the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades.
Given all that, is a sex farce created for a very different time and place relevant? Are the pursuits of pleasures by white men in power at the expense of those subject to their power something to laugh at? Is there still a place for the old gender-bending tropes and stock characters of the classic commedia dell’arte in 2022?
In short, when done as deftly as Hope Summer Repertory’s new production of “Figaro”, with a marvelously funny ensemble directed with joyful aplomb by Demetria Thomas, the answer is yes.
Because when have we needed to laugh out loud with abandon more than at this moment?
The story revolves around Figaro and his fiancée Suzanne who is fighting off the unwanted advances of the Count, who ultimately decides whether or not the two can marry. “What could go wrong?” is oft repeated as they, with others, scheme to foil the Count; and ridiculous complications, questions of fidelity, and instances of mistaken identity arise.
The outlandish situations are matched by the most delightfully cartoonish characters and larger-than-life performances that evade even the slightest hint of caricature while inspiring genuine belly laughs, often from surprising moments of seemingly spontaneous physical comedy.
Doors slam, men dressed as women jump out of windows, those hiding from one another slip beneath and atop furniture and roll through the garden; a mere cloak is enough to trick men of their wives’ identities, and secrets slip out plain as day despite the best efforts of terrible fools. The worst cads ultimately learn the most important lessons at the hands of the women they’re trying to cheat. Because it’s those brilliant women who, by surreptitiously joining forces, hold all the cards.
Patrick Poole’s incredibly likable Figaro is infinitely clever, witty, and sassy, with impeccable timing. His energy is matched by Molly Van Pelt’s smart Suzanne who drives much of the plot with Violet Wang’s Countess. Though it’s Jesse James Kamps’ Count who righteously earns the biggest laughs, often with his facial gestures alone. Adam Chamness also provides some terrific comic moments as Cherbin, and Daniel Alexander Rivera gives inspired, nuanced performances as three different hilarious characters. Every moment is high energy and pitch perfect with this cast.
And in addition to the terrific talent (and smart writing), what makes this satire work so well here is we get to look at and make fun of that which has become taboo in a way that’s made especially satisfying when those who have historically been excluded from the storytelling are now front and center. Politics, including identity politics, is quietly turned on its head in the text and with this company driven by people of color as a matter of course.
It’s also visually rich thanks to gloriously gilded, embroidered, corseted and otherwise embellished costumes designed by Anthony Paul-Cavaretta (assisted by Emmaline Fitzgerald and Bayden Hoblitzell) and Gaby Castillo’s appropriately ornate-looking yet relatively simple to maneuver set lit by Zack Saunders on the tiny yet wonderfully full Knickerbocker stage.
HSRT’s “Figaro” is so charming, intelligent, and silly it’s bound to win over even the weariest and most jaded audience members, making relevant that which could be dated and using it to create comedy as the highest, and perhaps most necessary, of arts.
REVUE - West Michigan's Arts & Entertainment Guide
Marin Heinritz