The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart) Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Apollo Theatre, Wed 28th and Sat 1st, 2001

That the subject matter of The Marriage of Figaro was very much to Mozart's taste is evident in the relish with which he set it. For Beaumarchais' tale of unbridled lust, frantic jealousy, intrigue, cross-dressing and counter-cross-dressing, the composer produced some of his most brilliant music - seething with melody, coruscatingly witty, and above all imbued throughout with a real sense of fun. For though it was the piece's socially subversive undertones which attracted the censorship of King Louis XVI and delayed its first performance, to modern ears Figaro has only two real themes: sex and fun.

Graham Vick's production, currently making its way round the country with Glyndebourne touring opera, makes absolutely the most of these two qualities. The unceasing comic, theatrical bustle begins even before the curtain rises, transporting the audience at once into a world ruled by light-hearted passion, where page-boys can creep into their mistress's bedroom and make tender avowals, and where liveried footmen, all propriety one moment, are stealing kisses from the serving maids the next. Vick both capitalises on and accentuates the essential levity of the piece: the pristine white set, with its walls of gauze, not only increases the amusement when, one after the other, the characters hide behind walls or doors, but also generates a sense of the claustrophobia of a house so filled with eager eyes and ears that nothing can really be kept secret, no matter what care is taken.

The splendid costumes, for their part, together with some delightfully dainty stage-craft, evoke the light-hearted gentility of the age admirably. Perhaps most importantly, a scattering of highly original and frankly risquée touches keeps the sexual theme of the piece firmly to the fore.

Louis Langrée's brisk, brittle, precise reading of the score keeps the whole bubbling along suitably, and the singing is, of course, uniformly excellent, especially from the ladies, whose voices contrast and complement each other perfectly. Colette Delahunt's Susanna is clear and sweet, with a delightful touch of cheekiness; Sinéad Mulhern's Countess is wonderfully rich and sympathetic; Anne Mason's strident Marcellina soars above both. Of the men, particularly entertaining was Philip Sheffield, who made a splendidly comic, sinister Don Basilio.

This is a stylish and expertly executed production of a perennially popular opera. But it also goes further, enhancing the natural bawdiness and hilarity of the piece so as to create an evening of consummate entertainment - one which offers something new to the most knowledgeable of opera goers, and which at the same time makes a perfect introduction for those new to the opera-house.

M.J.Rogers, 28 / 11 / 01