Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro is back at the War Memorial Opera House. San Francisco Opera said Shawna Lucey directs the late Michael Cavanagh's production, and Sebastian Weigle makes his house debut conducting the orchestra. The company notes that Figaro became the first Mozart opera it staged, back in 1936.
The cast
Bass Peter Kellner sings Figaro and soprano Slávka Zámečníková sings Susanna. Olivia Smith is the Countess, Thomas Mole the Count and Simone McIntosh plays Cherubino (SF Opera).
What the review said
Bay City News critic Caroline Crawford called the production "well-sung" and "sprightly." She said Cavanagh's 2019 version, set in post-revolutionary America, "makes light of class division and much of romance." She wrote that Kellner and Zámečníková, who are married in real life, "ignite the proceedings from beginning to end." She also praised Smith's arias and McIntosh's Cherubino. On Weigle's conducting, she found the opening performance muted at times and over-pressing at others, imbalances she expected to improve as the run continues.
Remaining performances
Bay City News lists 7:30 p.m. shows on Nov. 3, 7, 10, 13, 18 and 27, and 2 p.m. matinees on Nov. 15 and 29. Tickets run $30 to $456, and the Nov. 7 livestream is $25. Call (415) 864-3330 or visit sfopera.com. The opera house is at 301 Van Ness Ave.