Classically Savvy

In one sentence: Count Almaviva will do just about anything to bed his wife’s maid, but in the end is made a fool of by his wife and servants.

This takes four acts and nearly three hours to accomplish ;-)

Before moving onto the plot, it’s absolutely crucial that you have a clear sense of the cast of characters in this opera. The inter-relationships are INCREDIBLY complex, and if you don’t have a good handle on them, then you don’t stand a chance of making sense of the finales, which are the most confusing in all of opera.

Without further ado, here are the relationships that you need to know:

Count Almaviva & The Countess (a.k.a. Rosina)
The local royalty and head of the castle. The Count spent all of the prequel (The Barber of Seville) trying to save Rosina from her guardian (Don Bartolo) and marry her. Unfortunately, between Episodes I and II, he’s gotten bored with her and turned his attention to other “pursuits,” causing her much distress.

Don Bartolo & Marcellina
An old doctor and a spinster, both of the upper-middle class. Bartolo still holds a grudge against the Count for stealing Rosina (and her dowry) away from him.

Figaro & Susanna
The personal valet and chambermaid of the Count and Countess. They are to be married (hence the opera’s title). Additionally, Figaro was the one who invented and helped execute the plan to trick Don Bartolo, thus allowing the Count and Countess to marry.

Cherubino
The only other noble in this story, and the Countess’s godson. This teenage page with raging hormones can focus on little else than love in all its various forms, and has the hots for pretty much every woman in the castle (Barbarina, Susanna, and the Countess most especially). Timing is not a skill he has learned yet, and he keeps getting caught in compromising positions by the Count.

Don Basilio & Don Curzio
Basilio is an opportunistic, sycophantic music teacher. Loyalty is a foreign concept, and he will do just about anything if the price is right. He thrives on stirring up trouble and then watching others misery. Curzio is a blind lawyer with a speech impediment.

Antonio & Barbarina
Antonio is the gardener, but has the reputation of being “drunk at the break of day.” He is Susanna’s uncle and guardian. Barbarina is his daughter.

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To boil it down even more, you’ve got “The good…” (Figaro, Susanna, the Countess) “The bad…” (The Count, Don Basilio, Don Bartolo, Marcellina) “and the clueless” (Cherubino, Antonio, Barbarina, Don Curzio)

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Next time: Act I, the situation is revealed