Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The act two finale of The Marriage of Figaro is one of Mozart’s most complex creations — the madcap drama of the preceding acts comes to a halt and all seven characters onstage voice their conflicting thoughts in turn. Each voice builds upon the last, the onstage chaos culminating in a remarkable piece of musical counterpoint.Nothing quite matches the chaos, though, of Anthony Roth Costanzo’s one-man rendition in the open-air waterfront auditorium of New York’s Little Island, singing all the roles with the help of a looping recorder. Costanzo’s career spans far beyond a typical opera singer, performing everything from baroque and contemporary opera to drag, and serving as Opera Philadelphia’s general director. This is a vocal tour de force, pushing Costanzo to the extremes of his countertenor and baritone range, and it is to his credit that he sounds credible in both the Count’s “Hai già vinta la causa” and the Countess’s “Porgi amor”, arias feared by the most experienced baritones and sopranos.Besides a vocal showcase for Costanzo, the concept seems to make a wider point about the shifting identities of Mozart’s opera. The convoluted plot, based on Beaumarchais’s play, is full of disguise, trickery and gender-swapping; director Dustin Wills heightens the element of drag with a troupe of gender-bending actors who lip-sync to Costanzo’s singing.It’s all very entertaining, and Wills’s direction makes use of commedia dell’arte tropes fully in line with the screwball physical comedy of the plot. Costanzo rarely leaves the stage, apart from an interlude where the actors intersperse scenes from the play with stand-up comedy. But as impressive as Costanzo’s energy is, it quickly grows tiresome. There are exploding balloons, acrobats on trampolines, spinning doors; Costanzo collapses onstage and is wheeled offstage on a stretcher, singing all the while. Mozart’s opera has staying power because it combines farce with real human drama, and having Costanzo sing the Countess’s poignant “Dove sono” with a laryngoscope down his throat as a sight gag does the moment no favours.Musically, things are on far surer footing, with conductor Dan Schlosberg’s arrangement for eight instrumentalists both clever and effective. There are lovely contributions, too, from the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, though Emily Bode’s costumes suggest a juvenile Handmaid’s Tale. There is magic in the rare moments of stillness — when Susanna sings of the garden breezes, everything stops onstage and there is a rush of cool summer air from the Hudson river.★★★☆☆To September 22, littleislandtickets.com
