The Marriage of Figaro: coming July 27!

What do BHPL and the Comédie Française in Paris have in common? We are both hosting performances of The Marriage of Figaro this year. The library's performance will be in the back parking lot on July 27 at 7 p.m., to be exact. The Marriage of Figaro, the play, is not as well known as The Marriage of Figaro, the Mozart opera, but the play came first and is just as enjoyable.  To recap, if you are in the parking lot next Friday night, you will not hear the aria "Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!" 

But you will see "a hilarious and madcap" journey to the altar (as the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Next Stage Ensemble puts it) in which two servants, Figaro and Suzanne, must prevent the Count from taking advantage of exercising his droit du seigneur on their wedding night. That is, if they even manage to get married on their wedding day, as the housekeeper Marcellina is suing Figaro with marriage claims of her own.  Pierre de Beaumarchais' play was seen as subversive for its unflattering portrayal of aristocrats and was not allowed to be performed until 1784, 6 years after it was written.

Please bring your own lawn chairs. The play is in English, runs about an hour and is for ages 8 and up.  If it is raining, stop by the library before the performance to find out about the rain location.