	Mozart Cast Thur April 10—8:00pm Sat April 12—8:00pm	Da Ponte Cast Fri April 11—8:00pm Sat April 12—2:00pm	COVERS
Figaro	Drew Burke	Christopher Olsen
Susanna	Ashlee Miller	Rebekah Kenote
Count Almaviva	Nathanael Dickinson	Nathanael Dickinson	Drew Burke
Countess Almavivi	Rebecca Farley	Chelsea Keane	Elizabeth Crane
Cherubino	Grace Weidman	Elizabeth Thompson	Ruth Kenote, Ashley Aran
Barbarina	Elizabeth Kelly	Elizabeth Kelly	Kristen LaVeck
Marcelina	Adrienne Schierer	Ruth Kenote	Kelly Perkins
Don Basilio	James Schmieder	James Schmieder	Brett Potts
Don Bartolo	Joshua Moore	Joshua Moore	Eric Thomas
Antonio	Kevin Dibble	Kevin Dibble	Christopher Olsen
Don Curzio	James Schmieder	James Schmieder	Brett Potts
Chorus	Ashton An, Ashley Aran, Elizabeth Crane, Jennifer Curinga, Angela Iannacone, Kristen LaVeck, Kelly Perkins, Susanna Petrolle, Brett Potts, Sydney Seese, Charlene Soenen, Joanna Stolzenburg, Daniel Truesdail, Hillary Trumpler, Onna Wilson

Synopsis of the Opera's Plot

By Elizabeth Thompson

ACT I

Our story begins in the household of the Count and Countess Almaviva. His engaged servants, Figaro and Susannah, are in their future bedroom; Figaro is measuring out a space for their massive marital bed, while Susannah models her wedding veil for him. Susannah reveals that the Count often gives her very special, and unwanted, attention. In fact, it is the Count’s intention to renew the medieval practice of droit de seigneur, which he had previously pledged to abolish. [The droit de seigneur was the practice wherein the lord of the manor bedded a bride on her wedding night, as an option to the wedding tax.] Figaro, disgusted, sings an aria challenging the absent Count.

As the couple exit, Dr. Bartolo and his housekeeper, Marcellina, arrive on the scene. Both characters are embittered against the happy couple. Bartolo bears an old grudge toward Figaro, while Marcellina hopes to marry the young man. In fact, we learn that she has previously lent Figaro money with the contingency that if it is not repaid, he must marry her. Bartolo swears vengeance upon him and then retires. Susannah enters, and finding Marcellina, the two rivals mock each other, until Susannah finds the trumping insult (Marcellina’s age) and Marcellina exits stormily.

Susannah is soon joined by the lovesick page, Cherubino. [While Cherubino is a male character, the part was written to be sung by a woman. This is referred to as a “pants role,” and was a common practice in Mozart’s day.] Cherubino bemoans his lonely existence, for he is regularly ignored by the women who inspire his love-struck state, most recently the Countess. Cherubino bestows on Susannah a gift, a love song he has written. Though the Countess has always resisted the attentions of the page, the ever-suspicious Count distrusts Cherubino, so that when the Count enters, the young boy hides from him. The Count’s advances towards Susannah are interrupted by Don Basilio, the court’s music teacher and town gossip, so the Count also hides. Upon hearing unwanted news, the Count rises from his hiding place, relates his own knowledge of Cherubino’s adventures with the gardener’s daughter, Barbarina, and reveals the page’s hiding place as well.

Presently, Figaro returns with a group of peasants who have come to honor the Count. Their master, of course, must accept their attentions graciously, so the danger is momentarily averted. When once more the household is left alone, the Count presents Cherubino with a military commission in an effort to get him away from the Countess. Figaro and Cherubino are then left alone, and the page is mockingly sent off to his future military career.

ACT II

In her bedroom, the Countess sings of her lost love, the Count, who once adored her and now is hard and cruel. Figaro enters and an informal conference ensues. Figaro has a plan which might allow both couples to live happily-ever-after: Susannah will write a note to the Count inviting him to a rendezvous in the garden. Cherubino, however, will instead meet him disguised as a woman. The Countess will then arrive, surprising the Count and proving her faithfulness. The two women continue talking after Figaro leaves until they are joined by Cherubino. They proceed to dress him up as a girl, but after Susannah leaves to get more clothing, the Countess and Cherubino are interrupted by the Count himself. Hurriedly, Cherubino hides in the closet just as the Count enters. The lord implies the rumored unfaithfulness of the Countess, accusing her of hiding someone in the closet. The Countess replies that it is Susannah, who unbeknownst to the couple soon sneaks into the room. Recognizing the explosiveness of the situation, Susanna hides unseen under the bed. A trio ensues, but soon after, the Count leaves to retrieve tools to break down the closet, taking the Countess with him. Susannah quickly appears from her hiding place, and frees Cherubino from the closet. Panicked, Cherubino takes off the women’s clothing and escapes by leaping out the window into the garden below, breaking a flower pot in the process; Susannah takes his place in the closet.

The Count and Countess return, but when they open the closet door, both are astonished to find Susannah instead of the page. Soon, Figaro arrives to invite the Count to the wedding festivities, but is temporarily confused when his master asks if he knows about the anonymously delivered letter. Figaro cleverly develops some answers, but the situation is complicated when Antonio, the gardener, arrives to report that a young man has jumped out of the window into his garden, ruining his flower pots. Argument ensues as each deceiving character must improve his story. The scene is further complicated with the arrival of Dr. Bartolo, Basilio and Marcellina, who continues to insist upon her right to Figaro’s hand. A spectacular finale of reflection and plotting closes Act II.

ACT III

The opening scene reveals the Count to be very perplexed. His musings are interrupted by Susannah. She has come to further entice him into her deceiving plans. There follows a trial, overseen by Basilio, to determine the situation of Marcellina’s claims against Figaro. Figaro resists, saying that he needs the consent of his birth parents, but alas, he does not know who or where they are. In the discussion that follows, it is surprisingly discovered that his parents are in fact Marcellina and Dr. Bartolo! Susannah arrives to pay Figaro’s ransom, but enters only to see them embrace and is furious. They quickly explain, and to her surprise, Susannah finds herself not only with a fiancé but also future parents-in-law. Marchellina and Bartolo call off the law-suit and agree to wed the same day as Figaro and Susannah.

Susannah and the Countess soon after continue their plans and write a letter to the Count, inviting him to meet “Susannah” in the garden that very evening. At the wedding festivities later that day, a group of young peasant girls arrive, among them Barbarina and the disguised Cherubino. The Count discovers him, but in front of the crowd has no choice but to pardon him. In the ceremony, Susannah slips the Count the letter along with a stickpin, with instructions to return it. The Count pricks himself with the pin, however, and drops it; Figaro retrieves it and the Act closes on the festivities.

ACT IV

The night of truth has arrived. In the garden’s of the Count’s estate, Barbarina is searching for the lost stick-pin but cannot find it. Figaro, instead, has not only found it, but has come to his own conclusions about Susannah and the Count. He sings a famous aria, warning all men of the treachery of all women. He hides, just as Susannah, dressed as the Countess, enters the garden. She sings her own aria of an expectant love, hoping to draw the Count nearer into their trap; Figaro, overhearing, only becomes more jealous. She draws away, however, and the Countess enters in the maid’s clothing in order to fool her husband. Matters are complicated further when Cherubino stumbles onto the scene, and seeing whom he first thinks to be Susannah (really the countess), tries to kiss her. The Count then arrives, frightening Cherubino away, and begins wooing his own wife, thinking she is Susannah. They both hide at the sight of lights drawing nearer, and Figaro finally confronts Susannah, but not before having an interesting exchange. Trying to teach her a lesson, Figaro pretends to offer his love to the Countess, knowing full well it is his own wife. Susannah lets him taste a bit of her own vengeance, but soon the newlyweds are on the mend.

Finally, the Count reappears, having seen the interchange between Figaro and the woman he believes to be his wife. He confronts her, bringing most of his household and neighbors with him. As he harshly refuses to forgive her supposed infidelity, the gathering, not to mention the Count himself, is stupefied when the true Countess comes on the scene and Susannah reveals herself. The Count, finally acknowledging his sin, begs the Countess for forgiveness. She replies that she is kinder than he is, and so willingly forgives him with all of her heart. A brilliant finale draws our conclusion: that love has triumphed and the night will close in joy.