Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais

The Barber of Seville

comedy

The figure of the commoner or the clever servant, who helps his master, has great tradition in comedies. Figaro, the adroit barber, who manages to delude all prejudices and helps Count Almaviva and the beautiful bourgeois girl Rosine to achieve the fulfillment of their love, falls in this category. In his own age Beaumarchais didn’t manage to stage The barber of Seville for two years. It premiered in 1775 after long arguments and fights. The audience was offended by the open-mouthed style of the plebeian protagonist, his intrigues, his whole personality and they considered insulting that the author abandoned the severe rules of classicist acting. However, the unconventional, witty comedy won and proved to be a great success. Zalán Zakariás has been interested in Beaumarchais for a long time, in his opinion the rich life experience of the author is reflected in his works, and it is not a coincidence that we can find a serious plotline and character portrayal already in his first play. Regarding its structure it is also a first class work, more than a comedy: the presence of contradictions, exaggerations and intemperance opens the way towards a self-critical, satirical staging.

 

Cast of characters:

Premier: 2012.10.19