Utah Opera's The Marriage of Figaro

I generally prefer the tragic operas where everyone dies at the end but there are a few comedic ones that I really love and Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro is definitely one of them!  I had the chance to see Utah Opera's current production of this hilarious tale about a licentious nobleman and his scheming servants last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Figaro (Adam Lau) and Susanna (Madison Leonard) are soon to be married but she is concerned because their employer, Count Almaviva (Michael Adams), wants to revive the feudal custom of bedding a servant on her wedding night.  The two of them devise a plan to get back at the Count by making him jealous of a fake dalliance between the love-sick page boy Cherubino (Mary Beth Nelson) and the Countess (Katherine Whyte).  Chaos ensues when the characters continue to plot and scheme, impersonate each other, and hide (often in plain sight!) in order to eavesdrop on conversations until there is a powerful and emotional moment of love and reconciliation at the end.  This opera features a lot of physical comedy, which had the audience laughing out loud, and I especially loved all of the over the top choreography as Cherubino tries to evade almost every character (a scene where he tries to hide in a chair is so funny).  The four leads are outstanding and, while this opera is definitely a farce filled with many recitatives, it does feature some lovely arias such as "Grant, love, some comfort" and "Where are they, the beautiful moments" sung very poignantly by Whyte and an emotional rendition of "Countess, forgive me" by Adams (a nice contrast to his caddish portrayal in earlier acts).  I also really enjoyed Lau's amusing version of "If you want to dance, Sir Count" as he vows to outwit Almaviva as well as the hilarious duet "After you, brilliant madam" between Leonard and Nina Yoshida Nelsen (as Marcelina, the Count's housekeeper who has designs on Figaro).  The costumes have a Downton Abbey feel to them (which makes sense for a libretto about class divisions in society) and the simple set featuring mirrored panels that rotate is very effective (although it was sometimes distracting when the stage lights are caught in the reflection).  Former Utah Symphony Associate Conductor Conner Gray Covington is making his Utah Opera debut with this production and his light touch with the orchestra is perfect for Mozart's instantly recognizable music.  Even though this opera is over three hours long, it is a lot of fun to watch so the time flies by and I think it is one that most audiences will enjoy.  There are two more performances and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).