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Loved Bridgerton, and got hooked on MAFS? Here's the next rom-com you need to watch.

Opera Queensland
Thanks to our brand partner, Opera Queensland

It’s a tale as old as time.    

Man and woman fall in love. Man and woman plan to marry. Man and woman get embroiled in non-stop drama, as forbidden crushes are disclosed, revenge plots carried out, and secret long-lost sons are revealed, in the lead up to the wedding.  

Susanna’s about to marry the love of her life, Figaro. They just need to make it to the altar without any secrets or any… handsy old men getting in the way. 

It couldn’t be that hard, could it? 

Throw in a cheating scandal, wife swapping, drunken gardeners, solicitous lawyers, scorned wives and some cheeky bridesmaids, and the day soon erupts into chaos. 

No, this isn’t an episode of Married at First Sight, or even season two of Bridgerton. It’s the opera The Marriage of Figaro and it's playing at Brisbane's QPAC in July.  

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Long before we were all glued to our TV screens watching ill-matched strangers marry each other in scripted, televised ceremonies (as their relatives squabble in the background); and centuries before we all fell in love with the handsome Duke in Netflix’s Bridgerton, the greatest love story of all time was being told on stages around the world. 

The Marriage of Figaro is a four-act comic opera created by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte, which premiered in Vienna at the Burgtheater on May 1, 1786. 

More than two centuries later, it’s still one of the most popular love stories of all time. 

And it’s easy to see why. 

The story begins with Figaro, the personal valet to Count Almaviva, measuring his nuptial bed (yep, that’s a thing that used to happen). While his soon to be wife, Susanna, the Countess’ handmaid, tries on her bridal hat. 

Susanna tells Figaro she’s uncomfortable with the bedroom’s proximity to the Count’s bedroom, as he has been plotting to seduce her. 

Like a duped husband at a MAFS dinner party, Figaro is shocked but emboldened, and vows to take on the Count and undo his evil scheme.

Meanwhile, Susanna forms an unlikely alliance with the Countess and together they hatch a plan to work together to stand against the lying, cheating and bullying Count (huge #MeToo movement vibes here) to get their happy ending.

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What follows is a series of mistaken identities, people hiding behind chairs and curtains to get the gossip, escalating revenge plots, and a whole lot of broken hearts. 

And that’s just Act One.

By the end of the story, secret affairs and desires will come to surface and a long-lost son is revealed. 

So, do Figaro and Susanna get their happily ever after? Or does the drama ruin their big day? 

You’ll have to buy tickets to find out. 

The Marriage of Figaro is playing at QPAC’s Playhouse from 15-31 July 2021. Patrick Nolan is the director and Dane Lam is the conductor, with set and costume design by Marg Horwell and lighting design by Bernie Tan-Hayes. 

It stars Jeremy Kleeman as Figaro, Sofia Troncoso as Susanna, José Carbó as Count Almaviva, Eva Kong as Countess Almaviva, Xenia Puskarz Thomas as Cherubino, and Hayley Sugars as Marcellina. 

With more scandals than a season of Married at First Sight, more gossip than Lady Whistledown’s latest missive, and more laughs than even the most disastrous group date on The Bachelor, The Marriage of Figaro is the funny, scandalous romantic comedy you need to see this winter. 

You can buy your tickets to the Opera Queensland's performance of The Marriage of Figaro here

Opera Queensland
Opera Queensland’s The Marriage of Figaro holds a mirror to some of the burning issues in 2021 – feminist politics, the divide between the haves and the have nots and revolution as what was understood as power crumbles as a new world emerges. Watch young lovers Figaro and Susanna outwit their handsy boss on what is meant to be the happiest day of their lives - their wedding day – serving up the comedy of Faulty Towers, with the energy of La Dolce Vita and the drama of The Sopranos. The Marriage of Figaro plays 15 – 31 July at QPAC’s Playhouse. Tickets via oq.com.au