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The results are in! WNYC has just given away a free trip for two to Bermuda to the listener who wrote the essay that best reinterpreted an opera in another time and place.

In honor of José Carreras's celebrated musical career--one that includes roles in more than 60 operas--we asked listeners to become a visionary impresario for a day. This meant taking a favorite opera plot and reinterpreting it in a different time and place. Entries were judged based on inventiveness, sense of humor, and success in maintaining the spirit of the original work.

Congratulations to Sarah Keating of Staten Island, NY, who re-imagined Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro and set it amidst the neon glitter of present-day Las Vegas.

Read the Runner's Up Entries
Read a Plot Summary of "Figaro"
Listen to the Contest Results on Soundcheck

Opera: Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
When: Present-Day

By Sarah Keating, Staten Island, NY

The dimly lit theater sparkles with neon lights, sequins, and the rhythmic beep and ring of slot machines. As the audience waits, they see three circular, curtained stages – similar to a three-ring circus – connected by walkways. Suddenly, the overhead lights cut to black, and the overture to Le Nozze di Figaro begins.

The curtains around the central stage open to reveal the skyline of the Las Vegas Strip and the ostentatious dressing room of a Ziegfeld-style show. Sequined costumes and brightly colored fabric are strewn across the furniture and a piano covered in sheet music stands in the corner. The audience learns that Figaro (a musician) and Susanna (a costumer) are due to be married after the evening’s performance.

Mistaken identity, unrequited love, and the music of Mozart combine to tell the story of the performers and backstage crew of a Las Vegas musical revue. The cast includes a young, star-struck boy (Cherubino), an aging chorus dancer (Marcellina), a wealthy gambler (Dr. Bartolo), the powerful star performers (Almaviva and Rosina), Almaviva’s personal assistant (Basilio), the stage manager (Antonio), and his niece (Barbarina).

Presenting the opera on three stages subtly connects the multi-layered story to the confusion of a circus, creating movement and increasing the overall comic effect. It also eliminates the need for long intermissions that break the action for contemporary audiences. Set amid the larger-than-life sensuality of high-stakes gambling and live theater, The Marriage of Figaro is transformed into contemporary comedy about the foibles of the rich and famous.

Figaro on the Vegas Strip? You bet!