The Marriage of Figaro

There was a joyous sound coming from the pit, which made this night a special experience. It was the harpsichord played with a lush and playful intensity as part of a first class orchestra under the baton of Dr Steven Stanke.

You could close your eyes and feel yourself taken back in time to a court in 18^thcentury Europe with intrigue and scandal behind every door.

If you opened your eyes you would realise you were still in the Rockdale Town Hall –  recently renovated but still presenting companies on a limited budget with a challenge to fill the large stage.

In the first act the sparse set was not quite wide enough to fill the space and there was the slightly distracting problem of a door that kept swinging open. The night scenes in the second half were more pleasing on the eye.

You can’t blame the Opera Company for putting its cash into the orchestra, particularly for a Mozart opera with such glorious music.

The fact that the Rockdale Opera Company is still going is a minor miracle. With the other two companies in Rockdale they suffered the ‘plague’ of the discovery of asbestos in the building, that saw them lose assets and kept the venue closed for a few years.

Bravo to the committee for keeping this unique company going against all odds.

The Rockdale Opera company also provides a unique opportunity for emerging opera singers to perform challenging works in their entirety.

Most in the cast were talented recent graduates of elite Opera schools with a few professional chorus and principal opportunities under their belt.

The English translation  of the work was presented with passion and clarity.

Daniel Macey was charismatic as Figaro. He made a very pleasing couple with the delightful Phoebe-Celeste Humphreys as Susanna.

The Rockdale Opera Company is firmly back on its feet giving audiences the chance to hear operas done well at an affordable price.

David Spicer

Photographer: Ray Wing-Lun