Review Quotations
Winner of the 2012-2013 Austin Critics' Table Award for Best Opera Production
Strong voices, excellent acting…fabulously entertaining: In Austin Lyric Opera’s “Figaro,”…the pleasures are many: Sexual innuendo, bedroom stowaways and intricate schemes gave the audience belly-laughs…its characters actually come across as flesh and blood people instead of “types.”… the principals bring a charisma to the stage that makes each character’s story a sympathetic one, all while exploiting the opera’s many sight-gags and ironic winks at the audience… the direction by Chuck Hudson succeeds beautifully in its physical comedy. Small details like the swinging movement of Don Bartolo’s (Michael Wanko) cane are smartly considered, and mined for laughs.
Austin Lyric Opera's MARRIAGE OF FIGARO is a Crowd-Pleasing Farce Austin Lyric Opera's current production of The Marriage of Figaro clearly illustrates the brilliance and artistry of Mozart's music while poking fun at the hypocrisies of the upper class...Under the direction of Chuck Hudson, the classic opera comes alive. Hudson smartly highlights the comedic moments of mistaken identities, crazy antics, and cross-dressing, all of which play to plenty of laughs. Still, in his hands the characters and the plot are never over-exaggerated. Hudson has a clear vision and an undeniable respect for Mozart's material, and as neurotic, foolish, and irrational as these characters are, Hudson has them under control.