Cosi Fan Tutte

Cosi Fan Tutte
By Mozart. Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. Canberra Opera. Directed by Elisha Holley. Belconnen Community Theatre. July 27 – August 6, 2018

“I suffer horrible twitches, oh you bitches, this is totally your fault!” Canberra Opera’s Cosi Fan Tutte is unabashedly daggy fun. Director Elisha Holley has moved the setting to Braddon, an inner suburb of Canberra and inserted Australian vernacular through the libretto, which is an old technique which can be either funny or excruciating. Here it works well. The boys are Duntroon cadets, the girls are spoilt Canberra Prius-driving brats and Despina is pure Charnwood (for non-Canberrans, think Western Sydney). The railroaded weddings at the end obviously doesn’t quite fit, but with lines like -“No longer reject us, come here and inspect us!” and “Do they have Ebola? Gangrene? Have they been shot?” - it's very funny, especially with the comically awful and hilariously unconvincing costumes (of foreigners from Gunghalin). The cast are having a lot of fun and this is infectious.

There is some stunning talent on display here, although in keeping with the laid-back tone, the music was more enthusiastic than perfect. Keren Dalzell (Fiordiligi) imbues her singing with huge character. She has a gorgeous rich, warm soprano, but her aria Like a Fortress spans two octaves and clearly the lower notes were just beyond her range. However, as she was playing up the comic anger she was able to work those sections into the characterisation. She sounded like her voice was cracking with offended anger, so it worked. Clare Hedley, playing Dorabella, has the lighter, brighter voice of the pair and she was throwing everything into exaggerated, comic overreactions. The two female leads matched their phrasing and blended together beautifully whenever they were in harmony, making Gentle is the Wind (with baritone Peter Smith as Don Alfonso) a real highlight. The boys were similarly in good voice: Andrew Barrow (Ferrando) was very good and pitch perfect although his head resonance is holding his voice back a little. Nathanael Patterson (Gugliemo) has the stronger voice but may have been a little less certain on his pitching. Together they were a joy to listen to. Katrina Wiseman as Despina was absolutely adorable, both in voice and as a cheeky bogan bursting out of her tank top. It has to be noted the orchestra had a few pitch issues, but the humidity and cold might explain those.

All in all, this is a humble, hilarious production built around some impressive young voices.

Cathy Bannister

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