The house and gardens of Count Almaviva, some distance from Seville

Act 1

Figaro and Susanna are getting ready for their wedding. Susanna warns Figaro that the room the Count has allocated them will make it easier for the Count to approach her. Although the Count has renounced his droit de seigneur (the right of a feudal lord to the virginity of any bride within his domain) he wants to revive it secretly in Susanna’s case. The Countess rings for Susanna. Figaro is angry at the Count’s plan to take her with him to London. He promises to teach the Count a lesson.

Marcellina and Dr Bartolo discuss Marcellina’s marriage ‘contract’ with Figaro, an old IOU for a loan of money, in default of which Figaro promised marriage. Bartolo is delighted to take revenge on Figaro by saddling him with Marcellina, since it was Figaro who prevented him from marrying Rosina, now the Countess. Marcellina lets Susanna know that the Count’s interest in her is public knowledge - she hopes that this will cause Susanna to anger the Count by denying him, thus making him support Marcellina’s marital claims on Figaro as a revenge against Susanna.

Cherubino tells Susanna how the Count caught him alone with Barbarina and is now sending him away. He is also upset that he will not see the Countess again. He manages to grab one of the Countess’ ribbons, and in exchange gives Susanna a song he has written. The Count interrupts them and Cherubino hides. The Count tells Susanna he loves her, but he too is interrupted, this time by Basilio, and also hides. Basilio tells Susanna she’d be better off with the Count than with Cherubino, who is also chasing her. The Count comes out of hiding and tells Basilio to find Cherubino. But the Count himself discovers that Cherubino has heard everything.

Figaro has organised a crowd to sing the Count’s praises for renouncing the droit de seigneur. He is trying to force the Count’s hand by publicly celebrating it and creating an impromptu and early wedding. The Count knows of Marcellina’s contract and stalls. Susanna begs the Count to pardon Cherubino, but the Count sends him off to join the army. Figaro bids him farewell.

Act 2

The Countess prays for her husband’s love. When Susanna tells her that the Count has tried to seduce her, they scheme with Figaro how to make the Count stay faithful. Figaro has sent the Count an ‘anonymous’ note to warn him that the Countess is planning an assignation. This will distract the Count by sending him into his own orbit of jealousy. Susanna warns that Marcellina could still prevent the wedding. Figaro suggests they send Cherubino, dressed as a girl, to meet the Count in the garden instead of Susanna. The Countess will then catch him in mid-seduction and have him at her mercy.

Susanna and the Countess begin to dress Cherubino and notice that his commission has no seal. The Countess finds the stolen ribbon, decides to keep it, and sends Susanna for a replacement. Cherubino and the Countess almost kiss.

The Count tries to enter the room, but the door is locked. Cherubino hides in the closet. The Countess opens the door and the Count confronts her with Figaro’s anonymous note arranging an assignation. Cherubino knocks something in the closet, and the Count suspects that this is the Countess’s lover in hiding. The Countess says it is Susanna. When the Countess refuses to unlock the closet door, the Count takes her to fetch tools to force it open. Susanna lets Cherubino out of the closet. He jumps out of the window and runs away.

With the Count about to force the door, the Countess admits that the person hiding is not Susanna, but Cherubino. The Count opens the door, but it is Susanna who emerges. The Countess confronts the Count with his unjust suspicions, and he begs forgiveness. She explains that the note from Figaro was sent to test him. The Count prevents Figaro from leading them off to the wedding and asks him to explain the note. He denies knowing anything about it, but the Countess and Susanna tell him they have explained everything. The Count wishes Marcellina would hurry up and put a stop to the wedding. Antonio says he saw a man jump out of the Countess’s window. Figaro says that he was the one who jumped, and that he has twisted his ankle. Antonio has found Cherubino’s commission and the women prompt Figaro to explain that it needed the Count’s seal. Marcellina demands that Figaro marries her in repayment of the loan. The Count promises to give his judgement.