Bozeman Magazine

Intermountain Opera Bozeman (IOB) presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s immortal comic masterpiece The Marriage of Figaro at Willson Auditorium on Friday, May 13 and Sunday, May 15, 2022. This highly-anticipated production was originally scheduled for April 2020 and was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. “What better way to celebrate our return to Willson Auditorium after two and a half long years than with this gem of hilarity and beauty?” says Artistic Director Michael Sakir. The production features many of the same world-class professional opera stars that were originally engaged to perform in 2020. These include Metropolitan Opera soprano Katherine Whyte, Lyric Opera of Chicago baritone Levi Hernandez, Santa Fe Opera bass-baritone Joseph Beutel, and Seattle Opera soprano Tess Altiveros. Artistic Director Michael Sakir will conduct and internationally recognized Puerto Rican stage and film director Crystal Manich will make her Intermountain Opera debut. Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro depicts the romantic tensions between the Count and Countess Almaviva and their servants Figaro and Susanna. Mistaken identities and amorous trysts gone awry make for a riotous evening. The opera’s timelessness - and what made it so provocative at its 1786 Vienna premiere - comes from its highly realistic depiction of gender and class politics. To emphasize that drama, Intermountain Opera will adapt their production to post-Edwardian 1920s England popularized by the hit British television series Downton Abbey. “As a living, breathing art form, opera must be adaptable to the climate of now and resonate with a contemporary audience,” says stage director Crystal Manich. “The Marriage of Figaro is an upstairs-downstairs story and what better way to connect the dots for the audience than the influence of a popular TV show [like Downton Abbey] that can put some sheen on an antique?” For the first time in Intermountain Opera Bozeman’s history, an all-female design team has been hired to bring Manich’s concept to life. Scenic designer Lindsay Genevieve Fuori and lighting designer Sue Amos make their company debuts while hair & make-up designer Beckie Paakkonen and props master Faye Christensen return to Intermountain Opera Bozeman. Only two performances run at Willson Auditorium on Friday, May 13 at 7:00PM and Sunday, May 15 at 3:00PM. Tickets are available for purchase at Intermountainopera.org or by phone at 406-587-2889. Intermountain Opera Bozeman’s office hours are Monday through Friday 10am-2pm. The office address is 1700 W Koch, Unit 11 (East Building).