Jennifer Fletcher, General Manager
From The General Manager
A stage director friend of mine recently said, “If you can YouTube your way through the world, what haven’t you seen at this point? If media keeps you in the role of passive observer, what do you crave?” In our day and age of multimedia, there’s no fooling an audience anymore with routine theatrical tricks. I think my friend was saying what would feel new to an audience today is something immediate and human—a story told with clarity and sincerity. That’s what I think our audience will take away from The Marriage of Figaro.
At the heart of this complex masterpiece is a simple love story of one couple, mirrored by the rekindling romance of another couple. These characters are not some homogenous group of people, but a microcosm of society. The characters are all there for a reason and have a role in determining the outcome of the story. For me, Act II is where Mozart shows us the greatest humanity, beginning with the Countess’ heart-wrenching “Porgi amor.” The Act ends with one of my most beloved pieces of music, the Act II Finale. This section of the opera requires no tricks, no flash or theatrical fireworks. Our artistic and stage directors, Ron Gretz and Braxton Peters, will undoubtedly poise our artists onstage to present the most human look at Figaro we’ve ever seen. The Marriage of Figaro remains to be as relevant today in the 21st century as it was upon its composition, 225 years ago.
While they may be gearing up for the wedding at Buckingham Palace, the real wedding of the year will be taking place right here in Annapolis and the public is invited! It’s a new year and 2011 is off to a great start.
Warmest regards,
Jennifer Fletcher, General Manager
