The Marriage of Figaro – Heritage Opera at Bayham Abbey

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We are delighted to welcome back to Bayham The Heritage Opera Company, who last performed for us back in 2018. Heritage were founded in 2006 and although based in the north of England, have been entertaining audiences up and down the country ever since.

Because of the pandemic and last year’s thunderstorms, we have not been able to stage an opera at Bayham since 2019, so the committee decided to really put a magnificent show together for 2022. This year’s opera, The Marriage of Figaro, will feature 9 singers and a small orchestra of 5 instrumentalists – it really is going to be quite an event.

The Marriage of Figaro is Mozart’s sunniest comedy. Ravishing melodies accompany a farcical story centring on the wedding day of Seville’s favourite barber, Figaro, to the winsome Susanna, maid to the Countess Almaviva. The only fly in the ointment is the Countess’s errant husband, the Count, who has designs of his own on Susanna. The plot thickens, with a randy pageboy hiding in a cupboard, a drunken gardener making a nuisance of himself, bridesmaids, letters, secret assignations in the garden, shocking revelations, and, eventually, a happy ending!

Please note that the Marriage of Figaro is slightly longer than our usual operas, and therefore the singing will begin at 7pm, not 7.30pm as in previous years.

The following is an extract from or FAQ section of the website, and concerns Bayham:

  • There is no dress code for the event. Please come as formal or informal as you wish
  • LMF do not provide food or drinks. The audience is welcome to bring their own drinks and picnics
  • The gates open at 5.30pm and the concert begins at 7pm or 7.30pm. Please see website or emails for exact timing the concert. It is usually 7.30pm but can occasionally be 7pm
  • The concert consists of two halves, each of around 55 minutes. There will be an interval of 30 minutes and the opera should finish around 10pm
  • There is an area directly in front of the stage where we place between 100 and 150 chairs, and this area is kept picnic free
  • The audience can arrive from 5.30pm and are invited to bring folding chairs, tables (if required) and picnics. These can be set up anywhere outside the main seating area
  • The audience can move into the main seating area once their picnics are finished, using their own chairs (space permitting) or the LMF chairs provided. Alternatively, you are more than welcome to stay outside the main seating area, enjoy the concert and continue your picnic during the interval
  • The concert will be amplified so everybody should be able to easily hear
  • The LMF would appreciate the audience taking their own litter home with them
  • We have use of a field next to Bayham for car parking and this is no more than a 100 metre walk to the Abbey. Car parking marshals and stewards will be in attendance on the day. If you have any disability issues, please mention this on arrival, and you will be shown to a disable parking area that is closer to Bayham.
  • There will be a ticket desk at the entrance. Tickets may be available on the day
  • If it does rain, then umbrellas are allowed. Under these circumstances, please be aware of other guests
  • If it rains too heavily for the singers and the musicians to perform, then the event will be cancelled. We would hope to be able to do this prior to the event and would notify everybody via email if that were to be the case. In this instance a full refund of the ticket price will be made
  • It will get chilly by 10pm, so please bring a blanket or warm clothing even if it looks very sunny and bright at 5pm
August 06 2022

Details

Date: August 6, 2022
Time: 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Cost: £30

Venue

Bayham Old Abbey

Bayham Old Abbey
Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 8LP United Kingdom

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