David McVicar’s insightful take on Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro has returned to the stage after its 2015 premiere, and in this rich, confident revival, is very welcome indeed. The director’s expert handling of the opera’s social and sexual politics has retained both its subtlety and impact, thanks in no small part to the deftness of the cast.

Paolo Bordogna, Anna Dowsley and Stacey Alleaume in Opera Australia’s The Marriage of Figaro. Photos © Prudence Upton

Making her debut as Susanna, Stacey Alleaume paired fine comic instincts with a voice of bell-like purity. A magnetic stage presence, the soprano gave a dramatically nuanced portrayal of a character that’s often played as just perky or sassy. Conveying real emotional depth in a raptly sung Deh vieni non tardar, this was a formidable Susanna of stature and principle, every bit a match for Paolo Bordogna’s wily Figaro.

Though his comic chops are well established by now, Bordogna’s realisation of the role has deepened considerably since 2015. In sonorous voice, his Se vuol ballare was tinged with real menace, while the blustering Aprite un po’ quegl’occhi was underpinned...