Mozart’s comedy, The Marriage Of Figaro, is a whirlwind of mistaken identities, twists and turns, all taking place on a single day – the wedding day of Figaro and Susanna.

When their philandering master, Count Almaviva, is determined to bed Susanna before she is wed, Figaro and Susanna conspire with the rejected Countess to outwit him. General mayhem ensues, ending with the Count receiving a lesson in marital fidelity he’ll never forget.

One of the most gifted directors of his generation, Joe Hill-Gibbins makes his main stage debut at ENO alongside conductor Kevin John Edusei.

ENO Harewood Artist Božidar Smiljanić makes his role debut as Figaro, with a cast that includes sopranos Louise Alder and Sophie Bevan, and company favourites Andrew Shore and Susan Bickley.

From the first notes of the bustling Overture, this story is one of Mozart’s psychologically complex. Composed just five-and-a-half years before his death, The Marriage of Figaro first premiered at the height of Mozart’s career. He based the opera on the highly controversial play, La folle journée by Pierre Beaumarchais, which had been allowed its first public appearance only two years earlier. The opera shares characters with its prequel, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (written 30 years later).