Synopsis - Act II

Act two of The Marriage of Figaro takes place in the boudoir of the Countess, where she prays to god to restore her husband's affections. Susanna admits to the Countess her husband's indecent proposal, as Figaro enters and informs the duo that the Count has chosen to side with Marcellina and force Figaro into the unwanted marriage. As a further distraction, Susanna and Figaro plot to confuse the situation further (and help out the Countess) by inflaming the Count's jealousy via a rumor of an unnamed suitor to the Countess. Simultaneously, Cherubino is to approach the Count disguised as a woman, after Susanna falsely agrees to submit to the Count. When the Count takes the bait, the Countess will be present to expose his infidelity.

	After some fast explanations, Figaro and Susanna plead with the Count to finally bless their union. View the entire slide show

Figaro exits, and Cherubino appears, and is instructed to sing a song he as written for the Countess. As Susanna attempts to disguise him in women's dress, his eyes hold on the Countess (who is, it seems, taken with his serenade) and, left alone, an attraction between the two begins to develop, just as the Count pounds on the bedroom door, demanding admittance. In the ensuing confusion the Countess pushes Cherubino into a closet, just as the Count enters. The Countess explains it is Susanna hiding in the closet, and claims to not have the ability to unlock the door. The Count leaves with the Countess to fetch tools to open the closet, locking the chamber doors behind them.

Susanna, who has snuck back into the bedroom, tears Cherubino through the closet and takes his place, as Cherubino jumps through a bedroom window. The Count and Countess return, and the Countess attempts to prepare the Count for whom he will find in the closet. Both are dumbfounded when they open the door to find a demure Susanna. Figaro arrives in time to explain that the rumor/letter to the count was merely a joke, and he announces that the time has come for the wedding. Antonio the gardener bursts in however, fussing over his destroyed garden. It seems a certain unidentified man jumped from the bedroom window, and ran before the gardener could make out whom it was. Figaro (trying to keep up with the escapade) claims it was in fact he who jumped from the window, as he was waiting in the chamber for Susanna. Antonio produces a document dropped by the mystery man however - the paper military commission given by the Count to Cherubino. As the trio recovers from the momentary shock, they do a bit of quick thinking: Figaro was bringing the commission back for Cherubino to receive the official seal, which had been forgotten.

Though not entirely comfortable with the less-than-believable explanation, the Count relents, and begrudgingly prepares to officiate the marriage, when Marcellina, Bartolo, and Basilio arrive and make their case. If he is unable to pay off the debt, Figaro is obligated to marry Marcellina.

Introduction - Act I  -  Act II - Act III - Act IV