Mozart in Spanglish? A Vibrant, Multiethnic Reboot in 'Figaro (90210)' Raul A. Reyes - NBC News
go to original March 21, 2016

Bilingual opera breaks down barriers on immigration (MSNBC)

In an airy rehearsal studio overlooking Times Square, a group of performers is rehearsing an opera. The director stages her lead singers, as a production assistant lays out props on a nearby table. Two young women sit cross-legged on the floor, intently studying their scores. Then the lyrics of a duet echo throughout the room: "Good girls get green cards… don't forget, I do not have papers…." Later another character sings, "When I hired you, I had no idea you were illegal!"

Welcome to Figaro! (90210), a 21st century adaptation of Mozart's classic comic opera. In this production, which began performances last week in New York City at The Duke on 42nd Street, it's adiós Sevilla, hello Hollywood.

In the original Marriage of Figaro, the title character and his lover Susanna scheme to outwit an amorous count. In Figaro! (90210), Figaro and Susana (one 'n', because she is Latina) are undocumented workers toiling for a lecherous Beverly Hills real estate mogul and his Botox-addicted wife.

Vid Guerrerio said that he rewrote the original libretto - Figaro! (90210) is in English, Spanish and Spanglish — to help more people understand its genius.

Read the rest at NBC News

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