FIGARO: THE STORY SO FAR Arrives In Wisconsin

The adventures of the rascal Figaro are well-known to Madison-area audiences. Madison Opera has staged the better-known Figaro tales nine times in its history. But until now, the final adventure of Figaro, Pierre Beaumarchais' 1792 play La mère coupable was little-known to English-speaking audiences and there is no record of a Wisconsin performance. Madison playwright Nick Schweitzer has penned a new translation and adaptation, A Timely Intervention By the Former Barber of Seville (Figaro's Final Adventure), which will open September 29 at the Bartell Theatre.

Figaro's Final Adventure takes place several years after the events of The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro. Figaro and now-wife Susanna serve faithfully in the home of the Count and Countess Almaviva, tending to their needs and helping guide son Leon and ward Florestine as they come of age. On the eve of a joyful wedding between Leon and Florestine, a friend of the Count arrives on the scene with news that threatens to expose long-buried secrets and tear the family apart. Only quick wits and a level head can save the day.

Playwright and executive producer Schweitzer has written and premiered a number of both long-form and short plays, including 1998's Fighting Bob: A Love Story, 2006's Madison sesquicentennial play Surrounded by Reality, 2009's The Tragedy of Achilles in Vietnam (premiere in Austin, Texas), and several annual holiday pantos including Harry Potter and the Pet Rock. Director Julia Verstraete leads her first Madison production, on the Bartell's Evjue stage.

The production is a collaboration between SBR Productions (a nod to Schweitzer's 2006 Surrounded By Reality) and Falconbridge Players, which since 2019 has presented revivals of unfairly overlooked plays and stories in the public domain including Women Beware Women, The Blue Comet, and Suppressed Desires. Schweitzer collaborated with several Falconbridge actors on the script over the course of several months.

To familiarize audiences with the earlier highlights in the Figaro saga, on August 22 Falconbridge Players will present Figaro: The Story So Far, a fast-paced tour through key moments of the original The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro plays by Beaumarchais. This free presentation will include members of the cast of Figaro's Final Adventure and will be presented at Madison's Arts + Literature Laboratory.

Tickets for all performances of Figaro's Final Adventure through October 7 are on sale now through the Bartell Theatre box office.

 

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