Marriage of Figaro

The upcoming wedding of Figaro, the servant of Count Almaviva, is called into question when Marcelina arrives at the castle. Figaro once incurred a debt with her, pledging to repay it or marry a woman. The situation is also complicated by the Count himself, who does not hide his affection for Susanna, Figar's fiancée, and the young Cherubin, who sighs at the Countess of Rozyna, in whom the gardener's daughter Franusia is in love. Trying to solve this farcical madness leads to more comic and surprising situations, driven by the passions and weaknesses of the characters.

Although the history of Pierre Beaumarchais's The Marriage of Figaro and the librettos and operas created on its basis by Lorenzo da Pontego and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dates back to the 18th century, each successive exhibition allows us to rediscover its timeless social dimension. The new adaptation was undertaken by well-known director Mikołaj Grabowski, and the songs for the performance were composed by the outstanding musician Krzysztof Herdzin, inscribing them in a melody from Mozart's opera. The play is enriched by the costumes of the actors, intricately designed by the costume designer Zuzanna Markiewicz.

Description of the play: When Pierre Beaumarchais announced his new play The Marriage of Figaro in France in 1781, he did not expect the enormous scandal it would cause in the most significant courts of 18th century Europe. This son of a watchmaker, engaged in theft, illusion and espionage in his youth, almost executed on the scaffold for participating in a fight, had a special sensitivity to the humiliation experienced by the lowest strata of society. Therefore, he made the hero of the Marriage of Figaro a servant, who turns out to be smarter than his master, the Count. This reversal of roles caused clear opposition and criticism from King Louis XVI, who immediately included art with a ban on public performance. The premiere of The Marriage of Figaro took place only three years later, but during this time the drama gained considerable fame as an immoral work, and in fact sharply criticizing feudalism and the rule of the aristocracy. An earlier play by Beaumarchais, also about Figaro — The Cyril of Seville (staged in 1775) and The Marriage of Figaro were called by Napoleon “a revolution in action” and by Maria Antonina “a terrible art”. After its premiere in France, the work's fame reached Vienna, where it met with criticism from another ruler - Emperor Joseph II of Habsburg. At that time, however, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart became interested in it, especially because of the expressiveness of the characters in it. Emperor Joseph II agreed to Mozart's request that the libretto for the opera be written by court playwright Lorenzo da Ponte, but ordered the removal of political accents from the drama. The importance of the Marriage of Figaro and the Cyrulic of Seville, written by Beaumarchais in 1775, also addressing the problem of social inequality, was especially appreciated after the period of the great French Revolution, when profound socio-political changes took place.

Duration of the performance: 135 minutes (1 break)

Release Date: March 26, 2022