The Marriage of Figaro

First produced at the Odéon in 1784 The Marriage of Figaro,the second play of Beaumarchais' trilogy was an instant success and ran for an unprecedented 116 performances. Written six years earlier the play had been subject to the rigorous demands of no fewer than six censors, appointed one after the other by Louis XVI, with the principal purpose of preventing such a seditious piece of work from ever reaching the stage. Perhaps the king was right for Beaumarchais’ revolutionary attitudes towa...