Cherubino’s Costume Design

Opera Australia’s costume designer Jenny Tiramani talks about how she designed Cherubino’s costume, “’The servants wear blue, which ‘reads as a colour of service,’ Tiramani explains (think about blue jeans). ‘It also meant we could put Cherubino in a very pale blue, which is cute for his role as a rather dressed up, favoured court boy.’” ¹

The character description of Cherubino is particularly interesting, initially stating that the role is a trouser role, and also his costume design, “The splendid gostume he wears in Acts I and II is the standard dress of a page in the Spanish court: white, with silver embroidery; short blue in the same bodice, skirt, and small hat of the peasant girls who bring him to the castle, and in Act V in an officer’s uniform, with cockade and sword” (Tiramini).

Modern-day production design

In the Vienna Philharmonic’s 2024 production of The Marriage of Figaro, Cherubino sports a bright blue sports jacket, paired with a contrasting orange blouse. This production reimagines nobility ranking as the mafia. Cherubino works for the boss Count Almaviva, who is a sort of “mafia leader”.

This production of The Marriage of Figaro is close to the drama of a film. Staged by Martin Kušej, this production works more for the audience’s enjoyment rather than to make a political statement or aim for historically accurate costumes or set design. Finding a target audience is sometimes the priority for costume designers, and dramatic rendition draws in youthful audiences.

1. The production that Opera Australia was putting on was designed entirely from recycled jeans. This is why there is an emphasis on blues.  ↩︎