This April, the Auburn University Opera Workshop will present "The Marriage of Figaro."

Dr. Michael Koon, director and conductor of this year's opera, says this is the first time in about 10 years that Auburn has put on a full opera.

"The Marriage of Figaro," written by Lorenzo da Ponte and music by Mozart, is classified as a social comedy that centers around Figaro who is a servant for the Count. Figaro falls in love and wants to marry Susanna, who is the chamber mistress to the Countess.

"The Count, however, wants to enjoy the right of the lords to have the first night with Susanna," says Koon. "Obviously, Figaro is not happy."

The leading role of Susanna is being played by three different actors throughout the performance.

Jennifer Reynolds, a junior majoring in psychology, will be playing Susanna in Act III and she describes her character as the heroine in "The Marriage of Figaro."

“'The Marriage of Figaro' is performed in Italian and it’s been pretty difficult to learn,” says Reynolds. “But it’s a lot of fun and it’s a really great experience.”

Koon says that the Italian department has been a big help to the actors as they learn all the Italian songs.

This entire performance will be sung with only minimal narrations between each act to keep the audience on track with the story.

This performance is 50 percent longer than anything the Opera Workshop has done and it is also the first extensive foreign language performance.

The co-ed cast, which is made up of about 12 students, has been rehearsing the 90-minute production since January.

“Ninety percent of the show is already blocked,” says Koon. “Now I just have to get them off the books and performing from memory.”

There will be two performances, one on Friday, April 23, and Saturday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Goodwin Recital Hall.

Tickets are available at the door or by calling the Music office at 334-844-4165.

Koon encourages students and members of the community to come out and see the performance.

“Parts of Act II and IV are as beautiful as I’ve ever heard,” he says. “It doesn’t get much better than this.”