The Marriage of Figaro

Pierre Carlet de Chamblain Marivaux

Jul 2002 · Bloomsbury Publishing

About this ebook

First produced at the Odéon in 1784 The Marriage of Figaro,the second play of Beaumarchais' trilogy was an instant success and ran for an unprecedented 116 performances. Written six years earlier the play had been subject to the rigorous demands of no fewer than six censors, appointed one after the other by Louis XVI, with the principal purpose of preventing such a seditious piece of work from ever reaching the stage. Perhaps the king was right for Beaumarchais’ revolutionary attitudes towards women and the aristocracy espoused the popular feeling that would turn social order on its head and cause the king to lose his own in the subsequent decade. Figaro, full of an irrepressible joie de vivre remains one of drama’s arch-plotters, determinedly outwitting the cast of villains’ mountebanks and rivals who seek to ensnare him and bring about his downfall. His survival is not simply a testimony to his own endurance and inner strength but a signal to the world that the common man has rights and that the modern world must reform itself or be reformed if he is to be allowed to enjoy them.

About the author

Braham Murray is a Founding Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre Company. In 1964, his Oxford production of Hang Down Your Head And Die transferred to the West End and Broadway, directed at the tender age of 21. From the Century Theatre, where he was Artistic Director, he became a Founding Director of the 69 Theatre Company. His credits include She Stoops To Conquer and Charley’s Aunt (with Tom Courtenay), Mary Rose (with Mia Farrow), Endgame, and the musicals ERB and Catch My Soul, all of which transferred to London. Other credits include Uncle Vanya (Circle in the Square Theatre, New York), the world premiere of Tod Machover’s Resurrection (Houston Grand Opera), The Good Companions, The Black Mikado), Andy Capp, The Cabinet Minister and Lady Windermere’s Fan, all on the West End.