'Così fan tutte' review — this carnival-themed Mozart opera is a non-stop candyfloss-flavoured romp

Read our review of Così fan tutte, directed by Phelim McDermott, now in performances at the London Coliseum to 21 February.

Summary

• English National Opera stages Mozart's Così fan tutte at the London Coliseum
• The comic plot involves a wager based on two couples' devoted relationships
• Bass-baritone Andrew Foster-Williams plays the manipulative Don Alfonso
• Phelmit McDermott directs and Dinis Sousa conducts

Roll up, roll up! First presented in 2014, Phelim McDermott’s carnival-themed production of Mozart’s and Da Ponte’s Così fan tutti, in which the action takes place in 1950s Coney Island, is a non-stop candyfloss-flavoured romp with a real Valentine’s vibe. The premise of the lightly plotted story is laced with a certain amount of misogyny – and McDermott demonstrates that one way of navigating the problematic elements to is to embrace all the fun of the fair where nothing is quite what it seems.

Sisters Fiordiligi (Lucy Crowe) and Dorabella (Taylor Raven) are happily engaged to a pair of naval officers, Ferrando (Joshua Blue) and Guglielmo (Darwin Prakash). However, the officers’ new acquaintance Don Alfonso (Andrew Foster-Williams) insists that women are incapable of being faithful and wagers that their fiancées are no different. They duly switch their double-breasted uniforms for greaser leather jackets and jeans to test out the hypothesis. The women, oblivious to these disguises, are steadfast but, come the evening, defences start to break down.

The production is framed by the presence of a 12-strong Skills Ensemble comprising an eclectic group of circus performers skilled in acrobatics, contortions, fire-eating and more, who showcase their talents in a witty opening sequence and act as foils to the main protagonists’ earnestness. Jeremy Sams’s witty and fluent translation also keeps things moving nicely.

The scenography by Tom Pye transforms the stage into a holidaymaker’s playground. The revolving motel rooms hint at a fickle bedroom farce; giant teacups take the lovers for a spin, and they glide across the stage in swan-shaped boats through the tunnel of love, all contributing to a real whirl of carnivalesque romance with a potentially seedy underbelly. The twinkling lighting, originally designed by Paule Constable and helmed by Gary James for the revival, complements Mozart’s effervescent score perfectly. Costumes by Laura Hopkins also indicate shifts in mood – at night, the ladies swap their sensible cardigans and kilts for colourful dresses with rustling petticoats.

There isn’t a great deal of psychological depth to either love story and the fantastical production makes the suspension of disbelief easier to buy into. Blue and Prakash both sing with real sweetness in their tenor and baritone respectively. Crowe’s outwardly steady Fiordiligi sings her conflicted heart out in a hot air balloon, while Raven’s more pragmatic Dorabella switches her allegiances with fewer qualms. And Ailish Tynan is a lot of fun as the maid Despina who encourages the women to treat love as a game (the boys will inevitably cheat so why shouldn’t they have some fun too?) and has some wacky transformations of her own.

The production never takes itself too seriously and its many bells and whistles might not suit those who prefer a purer approach. However, it’s undoubtedly a frolicsome evening of entertainment that would be ideal for a Valentine’s treat or escapism from the damp February climes with a wink and giggle.

Così fan tutte is at the London Coliseum to 21 February. Book Così fan tutte tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Così fan tutte (Photos by James Glossop)