Ask anyone who enjoys even an iota of social media involvement if we live in an age of hearsay and comic intrigue and revenge and misunderstood messages and rapid-fire showdowns (of the @-flavored sort) and the answer would be a big ol' resounding yes.
But none of those things, from rumors to drama, are new to us, of course, though of course many a modern person believes everything interesting started with them. Look to "The Marriage of Figaro," an opera written in 1786 by Mozart, a composer who knew a thing or two about charged words, outlandish fame, delicious drama, and your basic hot intrigue.
You surely know Figaro -- surely -- who is one of the great funny fictional characters of the stage, the wiliest of servants who knows how to get what he wants (after several twists, turns, and misadventures).
And you know "The Marriage of Figaro" is a comedy, a love story, and boasts some of the best-loved and most recognizable refrains in all of opera.
So just try not to conduct along, with your index finger, at the LA Opera's production, which rounds out its trio of Figaro-focused shows. Roberto Tagliavini is Figaro, Pretty Yende is his paramour Susanna, and the over-the-top-ness of the staging is aided in its merry over-the-top-ness by a fireworksy finale.
Yes, fireworksy, as in made-for-the-theater pyrotechnics, inside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. It's a beautiful and rare on-stage sight, and perfectly attuned to some of the fireworksy shenanigans of the show. And, of course, the ultimate happy ending of the opera buffa.
"The Marriage of Figaro" rings the proverbial wedding bells six times, from March 21 through April 12. No gift is required, nor prepared speech, but you should RSVP -- er, buy your ticket -- and consider semi-formal attire. This is the opera, after all, and a wedding-themed opera at that.
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One final thought: With Mozart's knack for unearthing human foibles and human desires in such satirical ways, we're only a little sorry that he never had a Twitter account, because how juicy would that have been?
As juicy as a fruit hanging from a tree under which two lovers meet for a secret assignation. And that's pretty juicy.
