The Marriage of Figaro, The Cockpit / Upstairs at the Gatehouse
Our Camden Fringe 2025 interviews keep on coming as we aim to bring you chats with more than 100 shows that will be playing at this year’s London festival. We’re posting new interviews each and every day of July, so do keep coming back to see how close to our target we can get. You can find all our Camden Fringe interviews here.
Having been Offies Finalists 2024 and 2023, London Pub Theatre Award Semi-Finalist 2023 Opera Kipling are delighted to be returning the the Camden Fringe with their production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, a story of passion, intrigue and revolution.
We were intrigued about the how one would stage an opera in Fringe theatre. Thankfully Robert Tilson of Opera Kipling gave up some of his valuable rehearsal time to explain it to us.
What can audiences expect from the show?
Opera Kipling will present our version of The Marriage of Figaro. We were formed in 2019, by young professionals to bring accessible up-close Opera to audiences across the UK.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
Our show will be premiering at the Camden Fringe 2025 – an Opera Kipling tradition!
What was your inspiration behind the show?
We wanted to perform The Marriage of Figaro because of its timeless, witty, and deeply human story. Its themes of love, power, and rebellion still resonate today. With Mozart’s genius and our bold 90-minute staging, we want to bring this classic to life — making opera accessible, relevant, and irresistibly entertaining for modern audiences!
How long have you been working on the play?
We’ve only been working on our show this summer, so everything is fresh and new!
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
While our core vision has remained the same – to present The Marriage of Figaro as a fast-paced, accessible, and emotionally resonant experience – our production has definitely evolved during our creative process. As we explored the characters and themes more deeply, we discovered new layers of comedy, urgency, and intimacy that shaped how we told the story. So while the heart of the Opera remains intact, the way we’ve brought it to life has grown richer and more refined than we first imagined and we can’t wait to share it!
What brought you all together?
What brought us together was a shared love of storytelling through music — and a desire to make opera feel fresh, immediate, and unpretentious. Many of us met through fringe productions, conservatoire projects, or local theatre circles, and quickly bonded over a mutual love of making Opera accessible.
Opera Kipling was born from that energy — a mix of curiosity, musicality, and fun. We’ve built our team through a combination of long-standing creative partnerships and new collaborators who share our ethos: artists who are excited by bold reimaginings, fast turnarounds, and intimate spaces. Whether we met in rehearsal rooms or pub theatres, what unites us is a passion for creating opera that feels alive, joyful, and made for today.
Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
When performing at a fringe festival, simplicity is key — and rather than seeing that as a limitation, we’ve embraced it as an opportunity to be inventive. Our set is minimal by design, using a few versatile pieces to suggest location and status without overwhelming the space. Props are used sparingly but cleverly, often doing double duty or used symbolically to highlight character dynamics.
We focus on strong physical storytelling and dynamic staging to bring the world of Figaro to life. The energy, comedy, and tension come from the performers themselves — their relationships, timing, and presence. In a way, the stripped-back setting helps us get closer to the heart of the opera: the people, the politics, and the playfulness.
How important is audience interaction to you?
Audience interaction is hugely important to us — especially in a fringe setting, where the boundary between performer and audience is naturally more intimate. We want our audiences to feel like they’re part of the world we’re creating, not just observing it from a distance. In our past shows we’ve used members of the audience as part of the action – even having a reality TV-style public vote!
In The Marriage of Figaro, we use moments of direct address, shared glances, and playful timing to draw the audience into the action. When the audience laughs, gasps, or leans in, it becomes a living, breathing part of the performance — and that’s exactly the kind of theatre we want to make.
Are there any plans for what comes next after the show has finished its run – for you or the show?
After our run at the Camden Fringe, we will be touring in France and Northampton! You can find more details on our website.
Who would play you in the Hollywood adaptation of your future autobiography?
Tough call… but we’d probably have to go with someone like Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Sharp, witty, a bit chaotic, and always breaking the fourth wall — pretty much sums up the Opera Kipling spirit! If it’s a group biopic, throw in Daniel Kaluuya, Olivia Colman, and maybe a cameo from Meryl Streep (because, why not?). Dramatic, heartfelt, and slightly offbeat — just like our shows.
If you had to describe your show as a meal what would it be?
If our show were a meal, it would be a perfectly layered lasagna. Rich, satisfying, and full of hidden depths. You’ve got the bold drama of the ragu, the sweetness of romance in the tomatoes, the sharp wit in the cheese, and a generous helping of chaos in every layer. It’s classic comfort food with unexpected twists — familiar, but with a bite. Just like The Marriage of Figaro, it looks simple on the surface, but there’s a lot bubbling underneath!
If your show had a soundtrack what songs would definitely be on it?
If our Figaro had a modern soundtrack, it would be a mix of rebellion, romance, and razor-sharp sass — just like the opera itself. We’d definitely start with:
Crazy in Love – Beyoncé. Because Figaro and Susanna are madly in love, but surrounded by chaos. This track captures that high-energy, high-stakes passion perfectly.
Bad Guy – Billie Eilish. Count Almaviva’s theme, obviously. Sleek, manipulative, and completely convinced he’s in control… until he’s not.
Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand. A punchy, rebellious vibe — ideal for the moments when the servants start turning the tables. Revolution is coming, and it’s wearing a cravat.
If you could perform this show anywhere in the world where would it be?
If we could perform The Marriage of Figaro anywhere in the world, it would have to be Versailles — right in the heart of the palace. There’s something deliciously poetic about staging a tale of servants outwitting aristocrats in the very symbol of opulence and royal excess.
The grandeur of the setting would contrast beautifully with our stripped-back, modern approach — bringing the opera full circle from revolution-era satire to contemporary relevance. Plus, can you imagine Susanna and Figaro sneaking through those gilded corridors? Perfection!
What is the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show?
We have a lot of little props in our show this time, and they all have a significance. We have a bed and many sheets… that’s all we’ll say for now!
If budget or reality was not an issue, what’s the one piece of scenery/set you’d love to have in your show?
If budget or reality were no object, we’d love to have a grand, rotating stage that transforms seamlessly between the different rooms and secret passageways of the Count’s estate. Imagine the magic of watching the set literally spin around to reveal new scenes — the servant’s quarters shifting into the Count’s study, then into the garden — all in one continuous flow.
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received during your career, and how has it influenced your work on this show?
One of the most valuable pieces of advice we’ve received is: “You are not your job.” This might sound simple, but it’s profoundly freeing — especially in the arts, where so much of your identity can get tied up in roles, titles, or how a performance is received.
What this advice has taught us is to separate our self-worth from any single project or role. It encourages risk-taking, creativity, and resilience because it reminds us that making art isn’t about perfection or constant validation. Instead, it’s about the process, the connection, and the growth.
What words of advice/encouragement would you give anyone thinking about doing Camden Fringe next year?
Just jump in! We have been performing at Fringe festivals since our inauguration and they are such a fantastic experience! Each time you do one, you build an audience, make a connection and more importantly have fun! We love being a Fringe family and think the best advice is to just try it out, start small and learn a little more each time!
Thank you, Robert, for taking the time to bring your production to life for us in a way that makes it sound deliciously tempting.
If you’re equally tempted to see it, The Marriage of Figaro will play at the Cockpit Theatre from Wednesday 6 to Friday 8 August and at Upstairs at the Gatehouse from Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 August.
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