PL AYBILL THE BARBER OF SeVILLE
THE BARBER OF SeVILLE By Michael O’Brien, adapted from Beaumarchais Music by John Millard, adapted from Rossini
( France 1775 / rome 1816 / canada 1996 )
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a pproxim at e ru n ni ng t im e: 2 hou rs a nd 35 m i nu t es t h er e w ill be one 20 m i nu t e i n t er m ission
ARTIST NOTE: Leah Cherniak
BEAUMARCHAIS, THE LEGEND
The original writer of The Barber of Seville, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was the ultimate self-made man. An inventor, with unlimited skills in persuading and seducing, he was also a politician, a playwright, a man of letters, a musician, an arms dealer and a clockmaker. He taught harp to the daughters of King Louis XV, and spent time in jail. He was a philosopher and an adventurer – an insatiable artist and human being. I have spent the past six weeks with a group of insatiable, terrifically talented, inventive and musical actors. They embraced with delight the Beaumarchais story and the inspirational chaos that Michael O’Brien, the Playwright/Adaptor and John Millard, the Composer/Adaptor, further imbued into the story of Figaro, The Barber of Seville. There has been an endless well of generosity generated by everyone involved with this production. For a comedy, the attention to our work each day was surprisingly complex and serious. At the same time, I believe that the joy and zest that Beaumarchais had for life infiltrated our rehearsal hall, as well as the subversive undertones that rumble underneath this tale of love and class. We have had a very full and rich rehearsal process. Enjoy!
Some of Beaumarchais’ documented achievements almost defy credibility. Here’s a selected list of his larger-than-life accomplishments: • A n
invention to improve the accuracy of pocket watches
• A
design for the harp that is still in use today
• D iplomatic & espionage missions for Louis XV • G un-running
and arms dealing during both the French and American Revolutions
• R unning
a company that supplied drinking water to the city of Paris
• A n
expansive list of lovers
TIDBITS • N ow
sometimes called the most important French dramatist of the 18th century, a contemporaneous critic once said of him, “Beaumarchais will never achieve anything, not even mediocrity.”
• B arbers
of the medieval period were not only skilled at cutting hair, they were also the most common medical practitioners of the day. They performed general medicine, dental work and employed blood-letting to cure a range of diseases.
Leah Cherniak, Director of The Barber of Seville p roduc t ion s p on sor