An old bourgeois locks up in his house an ingenuous girl whom he intends to marry. A lover, with the help of his crafty servant, shields the young girl from this forced marriage - and marries her himself. It's an intriguing comedy theme that hardly seems new. And yet, in 1775, Beaumarchais, in The Barber of Seville , gives a hopping, twirling illustration of it, which follows the rhythm of dance and music. And here is Figaro-ci, Figaro-là, valet who is starting a great career on the stage.
