REVIEW: The Barber of Seville at the Metropolitan of Opera Offers a First Rate Comedic Production Perfect for Kids @MetOpera

The Barber of Seville now playing at The Metropolitan of Opera tells the story of  Rosina, a girl who behaves perfectly—until anyone gets in her way.

The Barber of Seville Review(from my contributor Jenn.)

 

I attended NY Metropolitan Opera for one of this seasons favored operas, The Barber of Seville accompanied by my 11 years old daughters (who don’t know yet what a treat it is to be in Orchestra seats a few rows from the stage). We were  close to the conductor Anthony Walker and the harpsichord continuo that brought the audience to the edge of their seats at points of crescendo throughout this flurried performance.

 

This opera is known for its’ comic chaos about a barber and a count who has disguised himself as a poor student as part of his quest for true love Rosina. Her guardian and ill-conceived suitor Doctor Bartolo keeps her locked away. Her only company are his servants and trusted singing teacher, Don Bazile, who in the end becomes an unwitting witness to the marriage of The Count and his true love Rosina.

 

It is hard not to be taken in by the incredible ‘sets of Seville’, but when young Elliot Madore took the stage I knew we were in for a treat. Joined soon by David Portillo as Count Almaviva, we are quickly pulled into the complex quadrangle between Figaro, Lindoro, Doctor Bartholo the unsuitable suitor and the beautiful Rosina, mezzo soprano and New Yorker, Isabel Leonard. The plot thickens and thickens in act one until we reach a crescendo when the audience are all ‘surprised’ along with Rosina to see that Lindoro is actually Count Almaviva.

 

In act two, the doctor understands Rosina’s plans to evade him as a suitor and manages to turn the tables, tricking Rosina into thinking she has been deceived by her love who has been part of a plot to have her stolen away in the night by the evil Count. When the trio, Figaro, Lindoro and Rosina convene later that evening Rosina is relieved to see her true love is actually the Count. They frantically convey their panic when they are about to be caught. Even though we know this will result in a happy reunion, we are still relieved to see how it all turns out in favor of the young couple.

There is still time to see The Barber of Seville as it  is playing until January 2, 2016. With the kids out of school for the last 2 weeks and with tickets starting at just $20, this family-oriented presentation of Rossini’s comedy is a great way to introduce your kids to opera. At the end of the day, if your kids like musicals and like to laugh, they will enjoy The Barber of Seville.

Behind The Scenes Tour of the Metropolitan Opera On December 30

If you buy tickets for the December 30^th  performance kids will  have a chance to tour behind the scenes of the Met before the performance at 11am. Met artists and craftspeople will lead a variety of hands-on activities and demonstrations designed for families with children, including a “dress-up” station featuring child-sized costume pieces; an instrument show-and-tell with members of the orchestra; a live demonstration by the Met scenic artists, who create props and set elements for all of the company’s productions; and a lighting display by the Met’s electrics department.

Kids 18 and Under Play Half Price

You can still get tickets for The Barber of Seville and now through December 30^th, audience members 18 and younger pay half price for holiday performances. The Holiday Half Price promotion is available at the Met Opera Box Office or by calling 212-362-6000, and is subject to availability.

Visit metopera.org for more information and to buy tickets.

Disclosure: NYC Single Mom received press tickets to facilitate this article.