This was my first ever Opera and boy did it impress!

I was worried being about 200 years old it would be hard to follow and hard to relate to – man, was I wrong!

The twists and turns, the drama, comedy, suspense and scandal were enthralling and could rival any modern-day soap opera!

The modern set and costumes were a little unexpected but complemented the story.

In Act Four chorus members wearing huge paper-mache heads in the background while Figaro sang – very unexpected but amusing.

The cast’s energy and excitement was earnestly felt with everyone giving stellar performances: Jose Carbo’s Count Almaviva was one of my favorites with my Opera buddy enjoying Eva Kong’s Countesses Almaviva costumes and performance the most!

Gloriously supported by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra who seamlessly expressed the characters’ emotions through Mozart’s music. The whole experience was an absolute joy from beginning to end and highly recommended.

For an opera that was considered scandalous in its day, this modern interpretation seemed very relevant in today’s society, and I loved the humour and absurdity thrown in.

What a fabulous, chaotic mix of characters from the lecherous, chauvinistic Count (José Carbó), a man in power being deceived and made a fool of by his star-crossed lover servants (Sofia Troncoso and Jeremy Kleeman) to the cross-dressing Cherubino played by Xenia Puskarz Thomas, who was outstanding as a love-struck, infatuated young boy with the most impeccable, velvety voice perfecting her arias.

The highlights for me though, were the shopping-obsessed Countess (Eva Kong) in her outlandish outfits that gave me Moira Rose vibes and Hayley Sugars as Marcellina who was just a delight every time she entered the stage.

The set was incredibly beautiful while still emphasising the pandemonium and disorder, the orchestra played Mozart exceptionally and were commanding from the pit.

I took my 21-year-old niece who also loved it.

It was a great introduction to Opera without any pomp and stuffiness.

Highly recommended.

The opening scene was a bit bland as we see Susannah and Figaro moving in to their new abode. There was no expression on any faces and lacking in energy.

It took me a while to warm to Jeremy Kleeman’s Figaro as he moved around the stage like a marionette. Once I did though, I had fun watching his antics. Sofia Troncosco as Susannah was understated and quite lovely. They both had gorgeous voices but often I couldn’t hear Jeremy very well.

Eva Kong as the Countess performed beautifully but came across as restricted by the horrendous costumes she wore. Actually, I found all the costumes pretty drab. Back to the Countess – I enjoyed her singing very much and the duets with Susannah were a highlight.

The most outstanding performance of the production was from Xenia Puskarz Thomas as Cherubino, the Page. A stunning voice with a fabulous characterisation, her acting skills were many notches above the others.

Some performances didn’t engage me at all and I was distracted by awkward physicality and strange blocking. I didn’t read the full program until after the show so I didn’t understand the set design. After updating myself it makes sense but the realisation didn’t quite work for me with the story.