But the story, the story! An assistant conductor explained before the performance that the director (from the Hungarian State Opera, in collaboration with San Diego-based Opera NEO) had decided the story, "convoluted even by baroque opera standards," needed some updating, starting with the main premise: the original tells of the reconcilation of an impetuous count and the lover he stabbed in a fit of jealous pique. He ran away, thinking her dead, and it takes many shocks and misunderstandings and a double mad scene for the two (she is the "pretend gardener" of the title) to come together again. So our production added... vampires! (We got two queer characters, too, including a trouser role who changed from trousers to skirts and back again with they/them pronouns in the supertitles, to make it a story of "transformation.") In our version the lady's servant saw her murder and turns her into a vampire (that's them above), and she eventually does the same for the count, whom she hates and loves.
Does it make for a more satisfying story than the redemption of an abuser? I'm not sure - I don't get vampires. (To be fair, I don't "get" Figaro either.) The production's conceit of characters painting each other's originally white costumes in various colors to represent projected passions got old pretty quickly, too. But I was titillated at the thought that this outrageous production had been performed in Budapest, where the singers - half Hungarian, half American - had a six week residency. I was disappointed to learn that the vampires were added only for the San Diego run, but am happy to have been able to see it, fangs and all.