Simple and small scale, Cosi’s female trio pack a performance punch
Così Fan Tutte is not a modern tale. Full of sexist tropes aplenty, its simple plot explores how foolish men can be, though their stupidity is unfortunately only surpassed by the apparent superior stupidity of women. Mozart’s finale in a late 18th century trio, we follow two Neapolitan soprano sisters Dorabella (played by Anna-Luise Wagner) and Fiordiligi (played by Rosemary Carlton-Wiilis) as they console each other due to the loss of their fiancés, tenor Ferrando (played by John Twitchen) and baritone Guglielmo (played by Oshri Segev) who have been called to war, or so they think. The two men disguise themselves as Albanians at the scheming connivance of Despina, the maid (played by Helen May ) and local philosopher Don Alfonso (played by Flávio Lauria). They intend to seduce the women to test their fidelity, whilst the women have been told to take lovers to prevent melancholy from the loneliness. Everyone is dramatically duplicitous and eventually despite literally everything played out to the contrary for two hours, it all ends happily ever after.
The female trio here were the stronger of the performers, projecting power and passion as befitted their characters. May’s Despina really stood out, her cunning character being given the meatier of the female roles. She showed great wit, excellent comic timing and physicality, whilst also demonstrating a vast vocal range with clarity and expression. Wagner and Carlton-Wllis’ sisters were also zealous in their generous portrayals of duped sisters whose agency appeared in the hands of everyone but themselves.
Ensemble OrQuesta’s production is simple and small, scaled down to fit the Cockpit Theatre, though it curiously focused the action upstage, in the back half of the stage, practically part of its chamber orchestra by the end. Hanging half mannequins of disembodied women pose the only creative use of set design here, with a table and chairs for vague feasting, and a teal sofa so comically small it felt awkwardly intimate every time three people tried to sit on it. Other creative moments were utilised when Despina sang from the upper seating level, presenting an interesting balcony sequence with those down below. Truly though, fake moustaches carried this production. They were the key to everyone’s disguise. The Albanians had curled, cartoonish black tufts stuck on, to offset their inexplicable forensic white suits. Despina’s moustache whilst she pretended to be the doctor kept falling off, which in all honestly just proved to be excellent comic physicality as she tried to hold it up all the time.
For me though, this production showed very little of the “ground-breaking”, “outstanding creativity” previous reviewers have awarded the company. The presentation felt too literal and formulaic. I enjoyed the strong performances from the majority, whose fabulous arias carried the flimsy libretto, though the uninspired setting and bland staging left me cold and uninterested. The Hasting Philharmonic Orchestra Ensemble, conducted by four or five people on a rotating basis throughout its run, was exceptional in its delivery. Particularly expressive for me were flautist Elizabeth Marr and violinist Amy Le-Mar. Despite their small size, they filled the entire room with superb sonics, capturing the emotion of each scene as it hung on the lips of each singer.
Whilst this production of Così Fan Tutte felt mild in comparison to some of the other bombastic operas available to audiences, nothing should be taken away from its sensational performers who carried Mozart’s orchestrations to completion. Ensemble OrQuestra certainly seem booked and busy for the forseeable, so I am perhaps in the minority in my opinions here.