Completing Pacific Opera Victoria’s 23-24 season is a mid-century-modern take on the classic Marriage of Figaro. Set in a riot of primary colour costumes, sets, and a 1950s futurist manor house, this version eschews some of the 18th-century tropes in favour of a more sparse stage.

The long suffering couple of Figaro and Susanna, played by bass-baritone Donovan Singletary and soprano Suzanne Rigden respectively delivered solid performances, with moments of comedic brilliance that resonated well with the audience. Singletary’s Figaro was very stoic, annoyed at the Count’s constant pursuit of his bride-to-be, pairing with Rigden’s nonchalant Susanna, who was more courteous and deferential to her employers, and genuinely worried about if her marriage will be able to take place.

Cherubino, played by soprano Cécile Muhire was dressed in a banana yellow bellhop outfit, was comedy gold. From crawling around the floor to hide from the count, to the weird mannerisms in the “girl dressed as boy dressed as girl” moments in act III, Muhire was playful and funny throughout.

At the center of the household is baritone Tyler Duncan as Count Almaviva, and soprano Sydney Baedke as the Countess. The pair were vocal powerhouses: Duncan’s “Hai già vinta la causa” was phenomenal, with an air of menace and a beautiful warm voice that was as resonant as it was commanding. Baedke’s “Dove sono” positively brought the house down. Vocally brilliant and commanding, her Countess despondent about her unfaithful husband and so sympathetic.

The comedic due of Bartolo and Marcellina, played by Peter McGillivray and Megan Latham respectively, were hilarious throughout. Their antics in act III were so funny that the music had to repeatedly pause because the audience was roaring with laughter.

Rounding out the comedy was bass-baritone Peter Monaghan as the drunken gardener, Antonio. Monaghan’s characterization of the bumbling servant was outstanding, from stumbling around the set with a massive sack of potatoes, to drunkenly dancing along to the chorus at the wedding.

The set itself was comprised of several massive, abstract set pieces that were moved into different configurations to portray the various settings in the story. The pieces took up most of the stage space, leaving little room for the performers to move around. Despite that, the directorial decisions had many of the performers in static positions for long periods of time. With few props or furniture to interact with, and very little traffic on stage, it made many scenes feel much longer than necessary.

Figaro can be a challenging opera to sing - many roles are left very low in tessitura requiring a fair bit of strength in the middle range to be heard throughout. Unfortunately the balance was not always ideal in this production, with some singers being difficult to hear at times over the orchestra.

All in all, a fun, colourful production with great comedic moments, and singing to bring the house down.