Bedlam reigns at Longborough’s sparkling The Barber of Seville

10/06/2025 by Clive Peacock

United Kingdom Rossini, The Barber of Seville (Il barbiere di Siviglia): Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Longborough Festival Opera / Elaine Kelly (conductor). Longborough, Gloucestershire, 8.6.2025. (CP)

Creatives:Director – Louise BakkerDesigner – Max JohnsCostume designer – Anisha FieldsAssociate designer – Alys WhiteheadLighting director – Peter SmallChorus master – David Eaton

Cast:Figaro – Henry NeillCount Almaviva – Joseph DoodyRosina – Lauren YoungDr Bartolo – Benjamin BevanBasilio – Trevor Eliot BowesBerta – Shafali JalotaFiorello – Kieran RaynerAn Officer – Jack Sandison

Best described as ‘chaos without casualty’, this production of The Barber is Longborough’s first real success of the season. Anthony Negus, who has had many a success at Longborough, agreed the first half had been ‘most enjoyable bedlam’, before expressing his surprise at some of the surtitles! Yes, some are crazy! ‘Now we’re really screwed’ and ‘Good on yer mate’ are two which stick in the mind! Nick Fowler (who was responsible for translating the original Italian) will maintain that his efforts enter into the spirit of Louise Bakker’s production which is enormous fun from the first moments of Henry Neill singing Figaro’s brilliant opening aria ‘Largo al factotem’ to the remarkable finale. By no stretch of the imagination is this opera a complicated one, it is a comic masterpiece; its success lies in the creation of fun and the music with truly astonishing arias. Almaviva’s ‘Ecco ridente in cielo’ is one of Rossini’s most beautiful pieces of composition.

Costume designer, Anisha Fields enters the spirit too, with some of the most outrageous costumes of the summer opera season to date. Glyndebourne’s 2025 production will have been hard pressed to find more outrageous ones!  Rosina (Lauren Young) carries many of them extremely confidently from tight fitting pink shorts to a several tiered frumpy pale blue costume – typical of the good fun we see!  Others, too, are dressed to astound – the pink boiler-suited team of sceneshifters, the massed ranks of residents of Seville as they support the upcoming marriage between Rosina and Count Almaviva (Joseph Doody) and, of course, Rosina’s frightful guardian, Dr Bartolo (Benjamin Bevan) who gives a sterling performance whilst condemned to wearing khaki shorts and long socks. He deserves a medal for surviving two hours in such a humbling outfit!

Conductor Elaine Kelly and her talented musicians thoroughly entertained a full house right from the start with the opening bars of the vibrant overture marked allegro vivace. By the time the seven sublime minutes of solid horns, thrilling wind playing and fine strings builds to the first ‘Rossini crescendo’, everyone was ready to burst into song. First to impress was Joseph Doody, making his Longborough debut but bringing with him experience of the role of Count Almaviva in a more traditional production with Charles Court Opera in 2024. Enjoying the freedom of colourful casual dress, Doody sang strongly throughout with a quite a bit of wit at times. His singing of ‘Ecco ridente’ was the first of a sprinkling of very popular arias throughout the two acts, sung with control, smoothness and a degree of calmness as all around him there is chaos! Lauren Young shows pleasantness and harmony with the world until she is crossed; she remains determined to free herself from the clutches of her guardian, Dr Bartolo. Young is well cast as Rosina, singing her operatic favourite ‘Una voce poco fa’ with sparkling vitality. Much of her time is spent trying hard to set traps for her guardian, who reacts badly when discovering he has been made a fool of. Shafali Jalota (the housekeeper Berta, complete with a Ken Dodd ‘tickling stick’!) watches with amusement and cynicism as the first act reaches the culmination of all the bedlam with Lindoro (Count Almaviva by another name) under arrest and Rosina collapsing on the floor. Residents of Seville show their concern waving legs of Spanish Serrano ham during a rousing chorus as the act ends in pandemonium!

Set designer Max Johns, ever mindful of the costs of production of set scenery has creatively produced a double one with the reverse of the Barber set soon to be seen by those attending Pelléas and Mélisande! The one for this Barber is a simple staircase to the upstairs apartment and is filled with brilliant light designed by Peter Small. At a guess, David Eaton, assistant conductor and chorus master took responsibility for the choreography of the pink boiler-suited team and those near-rioting Seville residents. What a good job he did with their precision and, lack of it at times, adding to the comic value of the production.

Plans for Rosina to escape the grip of Dr Bartolo gather pace in Act II with the involvement of a Don Alonso (the Count in disguise as a piano teacher) since the regular teacher, Basilio, has been bribed to be sick! Bartolo, keen to demonstrate how much better the music was in his day, inadvertently presses a button on the electric piano which emits a high volume rendition of ‘Why, why, why Delilah’, followed by ‘Why, why, why Rosina?’, bringing the house down. Soon after this, Rosina makes her appearance in the several layered pale blue dress which drew intakes of breaths and shock and astonishment from many in the audience.

As a Rossini musical storm brews, so the plotting to free Rosina gathers pace with Figaro, the matchmaker, working hard to support the Count in overcoming obstacles as their plot is rumbled. Soon the notary is summoned to marry the lovers which is duly celebrated

by residents, soldiers, builders, spivs, tourists and a policeman – a motley crew, adding to the triumph of Rossini’s impeccable comedy.

Another huge success for the Longborough Festival Opera team.