Finding Figaro

“The Marriage of Figaro,” Thursday, March 4, 7:30 p.m., Kirby Center (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre). Tickets $25-$57. Info: www.jennykellyproductions.com, www.kirbycenter.org, 570.826.1100

The Mozart Festival Opera is the only opera touring company currently operating in the United States, and it is gearing up for a performance this week at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre, the only live opera performed in NEPA this year.

Opera fans will be treated to a world-class production including meticulously prepared costumes, a beautiful set that looks like a historic dollhouse, and an attractive cast of talented young performers.

Jenny Kelly, artistic director of The Mozart Festival Opera, took a few minutes to talk to the Weekender about the upcoming performance of “The Marriage of Figaro” from her Baltimore home. Kelly, a former opera singer with training from several prestigious music academies, stresses the importance of tradition in the company’s productions.

“Most people who really love opera in the United States want to see the opera the way it was presented in the time that the composer created it,” Kelly explains. “They don’t want to see something that has been updated for the 21st century.”

“The Marriage of Figaro” is a comic opera written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Italian librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. The opera premiered in Vienna, Austria, in 1786 and is one of Mozart’s most recognizable, well-known operas. “The Marriage of Figaro” has been preformed all across Europe for more than two centuries, and appears number six on Opera America’s list of the most-performed operas in North America.

Contemporary American audiences should have no problem relating to the plot and characters. There is humor, extramarital affairs, and plenty of scandal. At times, the plot elements seem to resemble a modern tabloid magazine story rather than an 18th century opera. But that only adds to its appeal. When asked about the relevancy of this particular opera, Kelly does not hesitate to provide an answer.

“It’s appropriate because we are living in times where people just love to examine what’s going on with Tiger Woods and other people like that,” she says. “The story of ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ is really an examination of people who are in love and married but who are having many different affairs on the side with lots of different people.”

The Mozart Festival Opera debuted in the fall of 2003 by bringing traditional European opera to the United States, but its roots go back even further. Giorgio Lalov, Kelly’s husband, co-created an opera touring company in Bulgaria with the late French arts promoter Yves Josse in 1988. Lalov’s company, Teatro Lirico D’Europa, toured extensively throughout Europe giving more than 250 performances a season. However, by the mid 1990s, after Josse’s death, Lalov began to set his sights on touring in the United States. Years later, The Mozart Festival Opera is in the midst of its 11th major consecutive tour.

However, in recent years, despite a bad economy, where some theaters have lost funding to present opera, The Mozart Festival Opera continues to attract audiences.

“I don’t think that opera is just a European idea anymore,” says Kelly.

To accommodate English-speaking audiences, a large screen is placed above the stage where the lyrics are displayed. This enables the audience to follow the story while listening to the music. The New York City Metropolitan Opera began using this technique a few years ago, and it has proved successful. According to Kelly, it “makes a big difference in the enjoyment for the American audience.”

The cast is a mixture of actors and actresses with international experience who have performed in other major productions. The Mozart Festival Opera held auditions for the first time in Puerto Rico this year, while the others are from Bulgaria and elsewhere around Europe.

“After 11 years of touring we understand that Americans like to see attractive people portraying these roles,” Kelly says.

Averaging more than 80 performances a year, The Mozart Festival Opera continues to tour, finding receptive audiences all over the United States. With traditional costumes, a talented cast, and a set that creates a historical ambience, the upcoming show at the Kirby is an opportunity for audiences to take part in a unique opera experience.

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