A sparkling comedy of intrigue told with style and panache. Figaro the barber turns puppet-master as he tries to prevent Rosina’s wedding to her elderly guardian, Doctor Bartolo, and instead cement a match between her and the young Count Almaviva, Figaro’s former and future employer. Disguises and deceptions abound as the course of true love hits the rocks. With brilliantly inventive arias and ensembles that fizz at lightning speed, Rossini’s opera serves as a tart prequel to Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.

Paul Grant takes the title role in Cecilia Stinton’s new production of this classic bel canto comedy, conducted by Charlotte Corderoy. Elgan Llŷr Thomas and Heather Lowe play Almaviva and Rosina, with Stephen Gadd as the conniving Doctor Bartolo. There is luxury casting in the supporting cast, as operatic superstar and celebrated comedienne Janis Kelly makes her company debut in the role of Bartolo’s dust-allergic housekeeper, Berta.