The Marriage of Figaro at Rockdale

Rockdale Opera Company presents Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro at Rockdale Town Hall during November 2015.

A profoundly humane comedy, The Marriage of Figaro (Nozze di Figaro) is a marriage of Mozart’s music at the height of his genius and is often regarded as one of the best librettos ever set. In adapting a play that caused a scandal with its revolutionary take on 18th-century society, librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte focused less on the original topical references and more on thetimeless issues embedded in the frothy drawing-room comedy.

Continuing the plot of The Barber of Seville several years later, The Marriage of Figaro recounts a single “day of madness“ (la folle journée) in the palace of Count Almaviva near Seville, Spain. 


Rosina is now the Countess; Dr Bartolo is seeking revenge against Figaro for thwarting his plans to marry Rosina himself; and Count Almaviva has degenerated from the romantic youth of Barber into a scheming, bullying, skirt-chasing baritone.

Having gratefully given Figaro a job as head of his servant-staff, he is now persistently trying to obtain the favors of Figaro’s bride-to-be, Susanna. He keeps finding excuses to delay the civil part of the wedding of his two servants, which is arranged for this very day.

Figaro, Susanna, and the Countess conspire to embarrass the count and expose his scheming. He responds by trying to compel Figaro legally to marry a woman old enough to be his mother, but it turns out at the last minute that she really is his mother. Through Figaro’s and Susanna’s clever manipulations, the Count’s love for his Countess is finally restored.

We asked Rockdale’s principal cast members a number of questions.

What attracted you to Rockdale’s production of The Marriage of Figaro?

Phoebe Celeste Humphreys: Susanna has been a dream role of mine, as it is for many sopranos of my voice type. She is such a strong representation of the Mozart woman. I have a love of Mozart opera and Marriage of Figaro has always been one of my favourites.

Megan Chalmers:The fabulous music and the possibility of marrying a younger man!

Ray Dubber: It's a Mozart opera. It's an iconic Mozart opera. Nothing else needs to be said

Kirsten Jones: It was a fantastic opportunity to perform a role that I've always aspired towards and to work with Rockdale Opera Company, the oldest opera company in Australia, was something I felt was too good of an opportunity.

Blake Parham: I was fortunate enough to sing in a production of Le Nozze di Figaro in Edinburgh a couple of years ago and have loved the opera ever since. 

Ian Fisher: I have wanted to do this role for a while now, and was supposed to perform it e few years ago. Unfortunately that production was cancelled due to the rebuilding of Rockdale Town Hall.

Where did your love of opera come from?

Kirsten: There has always been music in our house. From the radio to celtic tunes to orchestral works it really was an eclectic mix. My singing teacher through high school, Lisa Thrift, heard something in my voice and directed me toward some classical rep which I thought was beautiful, so I decided to pursue it but it wasn't until I heard Pavarotti singing ‘Vesti La Giubba’ from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci on a CD that the emotion and the connection between the music and the voice truly hit home and I knew that I wanted to create that same feeling for other people.

Phoebe: I have been singing since I was 9, originally starting out with Disney tunes. At age 11 I joined the children's chorus of Opera Australia, it was at that time I knew opera was my passion.

Megan: The moment I started learning classical singing when I was in my early 20s.

Ray: I have enjoyed and played classical music since very young. Formal singing training in my later years just drew me even more to opera

Blake: I was exposed to a lot of musical theatre as a child and was then cast as Tony in my high school's production of West Side Story. I started having lessons to prepare and my teacher was an opera singer with the state opera company in Adelaide. It was her influence that really got my interested in classical music and opera.  

Ian: I have performed in operettas since primary school & gradually became more & more involved

What is the most enjoyable thing about playing your character?

Kirsten: Her relationship with Susanna would have to be one of my favourite things. They are around the same age and have a deeper connection than just an employer/employee relationship. Susanna has the ability to keep her happy and take her away from her own thoughts so to speak so that the shenanigans the Count is up to don't effect her as much. 

Blake: Don Basilio is slimy, sleazy, and a huge gossip. He isn't quite evil but he is power hungry and likes to cause mischief. It is always a joy to play a character that is a little misguided; it's a great opportunity to do everything you aren't allowed to in normal everyday life.  

Phoebe: I absolutely love the process of character development. Each week I discover more about the text and more sides to Susanna. I love her strength, her intellect and her ability to use her position as a woman in that society to fight for what's right & follow her heart.

Megan: Being able to be feisty one moment and gentle and caring the next… The full range of emotions. I also get to show off my fighting skills!

Ray: I love that every character in Marriage of Figaro brings something different to the table. It's nice to be part of the little bit of tenor work in Marriage of Figaro (it's not really an opera for the tenors!).

Ian: Bartlolo is a very pompous and particular person with a grudge against Figaro. This presents many opportunities for comedy.

What is the most challenging thing?  

Megan: Having to fight with Phoebe (Susanna), as she is such a sweetheart!

Ray: There might not be a lot of tenor work in the opera but what is there is quite challenging vocally.

Kirsten: To not make her too old and dowdy. She is young and vivacious but her title could make her seem older than she is, so that is my biggest struggle. The Countess is quite strong, although still has a delicate side to her character so it is quite important not to be too much of one and not enough of the other.

Blake:The music! Mozart's music sounds beautiful but it is often exceptionally difficult. Mozart requires a full range of emotions, dynamics, tone colours, and expressive techniques from a singer, often of a large vocal range. In a nutshell Mozart can sounds easy but if it is to be performed correctly it requires a lot of work. 

Ian: Not “overplaying” a small role!

Do you share any traits with your character?

Phoebe: Definitely her feisty attitude & her energy. 

Megan: Oh yes, Marcellina is very determined…So am I!

Ray:Curzio is precise, dithering, judgemental and possibly a bit anal. You will have to ask my wife.

Blake: I certainly hope not....Basilio isn't the nicest character!

Ian: I think that Bartolo is a very clever person who likes to get his own way. So … Maybe sometimes.

What would be your dream role?

Megan: This one. I get to sing some of the most sublime music – the sextet in Act III and the finale in Act IV…I love it.

Kirsten: The Countess is definitely one of my favourites but I would have to say my 'Dream Role' would be Mimi, from Puccini's La Boheme. That would be phenomenal. 

Ray: Really nowadays anything that is happy with a tenor in his fifties. I’ve always been a bit keen in going to the dark side with Jean Valjean or The Phantom (sorry opera devotees).

Blake: With so many great roles in so many amazing operas it's hard to choose.....at the moment it's probably a tie between Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni (his arias are just amazingly beautiful) and Capitan Vera from Britten's Billy Budd. 

Who is your favourite opera singer & why? 

Phoebe: Maria Callas has to be my favourite.  She had such an extraordinary voice and sang with such passion and beauty. 

Ray: Obviously foremost it has to be a tenor. From a versatility perspective I can't go past Domingo but I'm rapidly becoming a Kauffman groupie. From a jazz perspective (oops can I say that) then Al Jarreau.

Kirsten: Maria Callas. She had such a unique and beautiful voice with such stage presence. Her dramatic life outside of opera I think enhanced her passion for the art form and brought so much to her performances. 

Ian: Thomas Allen. He was the first real operatic bass that I heard.

Blake: I often listen to other tenors for ideas; Anthony Rolf Johnson, Robert Tear, Philip Langridge, and the Polish tenor Piotr Beczala, are all exceptional role models. When I was first starting out as a singer, I remember watching a televised Opera Australia Gala and this baritone came strode out on stage and sang the pants off ‘Ha! Welch ein augenblick’ from Beethoven's opera Fidelio. The power and expressive quality of his voice was just amazing and he could act as well, a quality not always found in opera singers. He was Australia's own Peter Coleman Wright. I then moved to Sydney and was introduced to Mr Coleman Wright by Pacific Opera and he has since become a driving force in my progression as a singer. As it turns out he is not only a wonderful performer but a great teacher as well.

Why do you think audiences should come to this production?  

Megan: It is such a fun opera. The cast is fabulous!  The music is amazing and very accessible. This opera has it all, love lost, love gained, drama and comedy. It is not called the perfect opera for nothing!

Blake: The show is crazy and fun and full of beautiful music. It's an opera that should make you laugh, cry, cheer, and even boo! Not the mention the cast have wonderful voices and a stupid amounts of fun! 

Ray: A great and professional production team - why wouldn't you come??

Kirsten: We have a fantastic group of people working on this production, both on and off stage. Bringing Paulo's interpretation of this amazing and challenging work to life is such an honour  and we are very lucky to be working under the musical direction of Steven Stanke. We are a young cast but are all very passionate about the art form and it shows when we are all on stage together. 

Ian: Rockdale’s productions are always top quality, in English at a very affordable price. This production is fun with great singers. I am very pleased to be a part of this production.

ROCKDALE TOWN HALL

Cnr Princes Hwy & Bryant Street

Saturday 7th November 7:30 pm

Sunday 8th November 2:00 pm

Saturday 14th November 7:30 pm

Sunday 15th November 2:00 pm

DIRECTOR 

Paulo Montoya

CONDUCTOR

Steven Stanke

*Sung in English

TICKET PRICES

$45.00   Adults

$40.00   Concession

$25.00   Child

Images (from top): Phoebe and Daniel; Kirsten; Ray; group image, and Phoebe and James.

More Reading

Community Theatre Seasons 2015.

More Community Theatre News