A recreation of Ragnar Kjartansson’s performance piece based on Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro
In partnership with University Musical Society
September 25, 2021
Bliss is a recreation of Ragnar Kjartansson's twelve-hour performance piece, restaged in the historic Michigan Building Theatre—the first live performance in that space since its conversion to a parking garage in the 1970s.
Bliss replays three minutes of The Marriage of Figaro with the same cast and same orchestra without pause for twelve hours. The scene—in which Count Almaviva pleads for, and ultimately wins, the Countess’s forgiveness—is looped seamlessly, creating a seemingly never-ending universe of repentance and grace.
Corey Mckern, Count Almaviva
Nicole Joseph, Countess Almaviva
Grace Wipfli, Susanna
Robert Wesley Mason, Figaro
Jennifer Cresswell, Cherubino
Diane Rae Schoff, Marcellina
Tyrese Byrd, Don Basilio
Lucia Helgren, Barbarina
Jake Surzyn, Antonio
Conducted by Christopher Rountree