Both Miriam Khalil and Cait Wood can recall their first exposures to Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro in their undergraduate degrees. 

“I think every young soprano learns the ‘Deh vieni’”, says Wood, referencing the most famous aria sung by her character, the cunning servant Susanna. 

Both Wood and Khalil have since gone on to sing in multiple productions of this opera, which will be produced for the first time in over a decade by Manitoba Opera starting this weekend. Audiences can expect a show filled with some of Mozart’s most familiar melodies under the baton of conductor Gordon Gerrard combined with madcap hilarity under the direction of Winnipeg’s Rob Herriot. 

“There’s slapstick comedy, there’s people dressing up in disguises, there’s people pulling the wool over each other’s eyes trying to sneak up on people… there’s a little bit of everything!’ says Wood. 

 

Slapstick meets subversion, humanity 

Khalil, who plays the Countess Almaviva in the production, notes that the humour of the show is just one of the things that has made the show one of the most beloved in the repertoire. Mozart made a point to have the lower-class servants – Susanna, Figaro and the Countess – be the ones to triumph over the Count and his plans to steal Susanna for himself.  

That subversion of class, according to Khalil, is satisfying for audiences to watch. “I think Mozart – and I don’t mean this in a bad way – loved women and really didn’t take them for granted and their intelligence for granted,” she explains. “And so, that has rung true through the years where you see that it’s not just the servant class that is smarter than their masters, but it’s women that are outsmarting the men.” 


 

The other element of Figaro that Khalil says attracts audiences is the multiplicity of relationships shared on stage between Susanna and Figaro and the Count and Countess. “One couple is getting married – everything’s new, everything’s amazing. One couple is deteriorating – the husband is cheating; the wife is depressed. And so, you see all these different layers of relationship, but also different layers of how these two couples relate to one another.” 

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A familiar story in a new light 

Manitoba Opera’s production of Figaro adds another layer to the proceedings by placing the story in the mid-20th century. With this setting comes a new social lens that Khalil and Wood add to their characters to make them fit in the production. 


 

Wood notes that for audiences familiar with the story and music of the opera will gain a new a perspective on the story not just from the opera’s setting, but from their own life circumstances. “The first time you’re seeing the show, you may relate to Figaro and Susanna who are kind of in the honeymoon phase,” she explains, “but later in life, maybe you’re going through some marital issues and maybe you’ll see more of your relationship with the Count and Countess.” 

“I think as you return to it throughout your life, you’ll see something and attach yourself to something different that’s happening in the story.” 

Le nozze di Figaro takes the stage at the Centennial Concert Hall on April 18, 22 and 24. Showtimes, tickets and more information can be found at Manitoba Opera’s website.