Opera North:The Marriage of Figaro, Palace Theatre, Manchester. THE greatest comic opera demands a performance of the highest standards and Opera North left themselves no easy task by performing Mozart's masterpiece in English.

Every artistic crack can be seen and heard when you can understand what's being sung, but happily neither Amanda Holden's translation, nor the company's interpretation falls short of the mark.

Some of the robust, modern English may not be to everyone's taste, but the laughs just carry you along as the servant Figaro outwits the sexual machinations of his master, the Count.

Clive Bayley, more usually Opera North's villain, takes to Figaro like a duck to water, his sly bass suiting the role well - although his voice broke down after the interval - and William Dazeley was excellent as the furtive count.

Among the more obvious comic roles, Andrew Shore was a wonderfully pompous Dr Bartolo, Kevin West a smarmy Don Basilio and, above all, Alice Coote a Cherubino who enjoyed her breeches role to the full.

But the highest praise must go to the singers of the two most difficult roles: Janis Kelly as a lovely voiced Countess and Linda Kitchen as a spirited Susanna, the maid who has to resist the Count's amourous advances.

Congratulations also to conductor Richard Farnes and the English Northern Philarmonia for giving such marvellous orchestral support to a performance which does Mozart's opera proud.

FigaroZis repeated tomorrow. La bohemeZis tonight and Thursday, while Roberto Gerhard'sZThe DuennaZis on Friday and Cherubini'sZMedeaZis on Saturday.

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