Premiering in 1784, The Marriage of Figaro is the second play in a trilogy of plays about the character "Figaro" written by the notable French playwright and polymath Pierre Beaumarchais. A continuation of the story The Barber of Seville, the play is a traditional "comedy of errors," a lighthearted but suspenseful caper of mistaken identities and interclass revels. The first play, The Barber of Seville, depicts a love triangle in which Count Almaviva falls in love with a girl named Rosina, who is beloved by Doctor Bartholo. The Marriage of Figaro continues this narrative.
The play was extremely popular on the occasion of its premiere, largely due to the success of The Barber of Seville before it. Indeed, the play was so popular that three people were alleged to have been crushed in the hustle and bustle of the crowd. In spite of this popularity, it met some resistance from the King, Louis XVI, who saw Figaro's soliloquy railing against the aristocracy as an affront to the French crown. After banning the play for a number of years, Louis eventually lifted that ban, but the play was still said to have anticipated the imminent French Revolution.
After the play's success, Mozart turned the play into an opera, with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Indeed, that opera is still performed regularly today, and is perhaps better known than the play on which it was based.
