Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...Simply put, though, Mozart took Beaumarchais' comedy, which mostly was about how sex interplays with power, and added pathos. Achingly so, at times. But one feels those dynamics here only sporadically, as the production doesn't spend enough time with such vital concerns of the opera house as pain, regret, oppression and the sheer determination of true love."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...This sparkling, impeccably crafted 1786 comedic look at human follies and frailties offers a near-perfect melding of a delightful story by famed librettist Lorenzo da Ponte and some of the most appealing and affecting music that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ever wrote."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...The current production features two sublime sopranos: Ying Fang, as the savvy servant Susanna, and Federica Lombardi as the regal but distraught Countess. Their class-bridging sisterhood drives the opera's convoluted plot and their voices (memorably blending in the second act "letter" duet), provide the most transporting moments in a production that's well-sung all around."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...Lyric Opera repurposes and surpasses its wonderful and whimsical 2015 production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro with an entirely new cast and conductor-many making their Lyric debut. Among the latter is German-born conductor Erina Yashima, whose sensitivity and quiet competence bring out the beauty and complexity in Mozart's scintillating score. Director Barbara Gaines brings fresh and creative vision to this production, which makes rare use of the side aisles. The supertitle translations have also been updated, giving this production a more contemporary flair. Vibrant, joyful, and uproarious, The Marriage of Figaro is the outstanding and must-see production of the season!"
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s comedy The Marriage of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) has been delighting audiences for centuries, and if you see the production currently at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, you’ll know why. With a libretto that makes heavy use of all the tropes of old-fashioned comedies and a score that just feels happy, Figaro is a gentle escapist fantasy set in a bright, picturesque world."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Yet, despite the silliness, the goofy characters and the bright colors, the music Mozart wrote over two centuries ago transcends it all. The entire cast sang impeccably, but even then, there were moments in the three-and-a-half-hour production when time seemed to stop. Kelner sets the tone with his rich Bass in Se Vuol Ballare. The duet in Act III, Sull’aria, between The Countess and Susanna, was achingly beautiful, Lombardi’s rich tones blended perfectly with Fang’s."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...The Marriage of Figaro continues the plot of The Barber of Seville several years later, and recounts a single "day of madness" (la folle journee) 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, (a tenor in Paisiello's 1782 opera), into a scheming, bullying, skirt-chasing baritone."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...The Marriage of Figaro is directed by Barbara Gaines, a founder of Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She does a great job of making the 18th-century story more contemporary. I have read some criticism of the language interpretation being vulgar, and I disagree. The Marriage of Figaro was controversial as a nose-thumb to the aristocracy. It was even banned in some countries to protect the unwashed masses from the truth that the upper class was rife with low-class behavior."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Though this is a remount, which is so common and necessary in opera, the production still feels fresh. Robert Wierzel's cheerful lighting design is practically another comic character making all the bits run. The costume designs by Susan Mickey, a master of goofy period garb, are grand, delightful and as absurd as the court fashions that inspire them. If the outlandish volume of the petticoats and strangely coiffed hair of the women's chorus seem like a joke, treat yourself to viewing portraits by Velazquez and Carreño of aristocratic women in the Spanish court."
