REVIEW: The Marriage of Figaro at The Watermill- a great summer's evening.... rain or shine

Ranjit Bolt's adaptation of The Marriage of Figaro, now on at The Watermill Theatre, makes for a great summer's evening out.

The strong ensemble of seven actors, some playing multi-role, bounded through the play energetically. I particularly enjoyed Rachel Atkins whose Countess was slightly reminiscent of Nursie in Blackadder II.  Mistaken identities, plotting, sauciness, regional stereotypes and costume swaps all had the audience in stitches and my four companions absolutely loved this production. I'm not a fan of most farce and I wasn't overly taken with the play itself, but I still thoroughly enjoyed my night of entertainment.

One of the highlights of the play for me was Figaro's (Jason Baughan) speech on class in the second act- a refreshing break from the saucy slapstick. Thanks to the Great British weather we weren't able to enjoy the final two acts in the beautiful Watermill garden last night, but they still worked well on the indoor set which was impressive as always. Sitting outside after the interval on a sunny evening must be the icing on the cake of a very enjoyable evening.

The Marriage of Figaro is at The Watermill Theatre until July 30th.