OPERA Northern Ireland's new Marriage of Figaro is directed, as was its 1991 production, by Tim Coleman. It's not, however, what you would call a straight revival. In place of the modern trappings of five years ago (these included a calculator and a power drill), there are now colourfully handsome, period flavoured costumes by Gabriella Jaenecue, though Tim Reed's original florally muralled set remains. As well as changes of cast and conductor (Lionel Friend taking Kenneth Montgomery's place in front of the Ulster Orchestra in the pit), the opera is now being sung in English, in the translation by Edward J. Dent.

The new Figaro, however, is more notable for its anomalies than for the stylishness and dexterity of singing and playing that I recall from 1991. The most consistent and pronounced of the problems is the divergence of view between conductor and cast. At the opening performance on Saturday, Lionel Friend seemed apparently unwilling to compromise his schoolmasterishly correct, metronomic approach in the face of what his singers were actually intent on doing. To say he didn't breathe with them would be an understatement, and, with a number of individuals on the stage of the breed which is happy to forego rhythmic accuracy in the cause of forming a note, the misalignment was at times severe. The recitative, too, had more than its fair share of slithering between notes. The English of the Icelandic Countess (Sola Braga) was at times entirely beyond comprehension and the shifting accents of Rachel Fisher's cute Barbarina (cockneyish in recitative, "proper" in her aria) were downright perplexing.

Steven Page made a lively Figaro, Nicholas Folwell a more sober and restrained Count, and Linda Kitchen's Susanna easily had enough appeal to keep the attention of both of them - her Deh vieni was one of the highlights of the evening. In the smaller roles, Maria Jagusz was a forward Cherubino, John Fryatt a thoroughly camp Basilio and Richard Angas an aptly oafish Antonio.