Cosi Fan Tutte at London Coliseum (ENO) Review
Andrew Foster-Williams as Don Alfonso
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.
First performed in 1790, Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte is a comic opera that follows the fortunes of two soldiers and the sisters who are their lovers – the men manipulated by their friend, the devious Don Alfonso, into testing the fidelity of the women. Throw a mischievous maid into the mix and the stage is set for mistaken identities, misunderstandings and a seemingly endless stream of beautiful arias.
This production, directed for the English National Opera (ENO) by Phelim McDermott with set design from Tom Pye, moves the action from its original Naples setting to Coney Island in 1950s America, with a lot of the action taking place against the backdrop of its fairground, with the sisters’ home moved to a Motel.
The fairground influence is clear from the start and sets the tone for a story full of deception and illusion, nothing is quite as it appears. The Overture sees our puppet-master Don Alfonso move a large box onto the stage, from which a troupe of talented circus performers gradually emerge holding crudely drawn placards to tell us the themes of the piece. Acrobats, a fire eater, a sword swallower, a strong man and other recognisable carnival characters leave the box and show us their skills. They are present throughout the performance, moving scenery, reacting to the unfolding story and adding a thrilling air of mystery and spectacle, just on the right side of seedy.
Pye’s set design is perfectly evocative of the rather kitsch beauty of vintage Americana. From the beautifully lit backdrop showing the outline of a rollercoaster, a big wheel and a helter-skelter to the representations of a carousel and the tunnel of love with its neon lights, it is visually stunning. Even a misplaced apostrophe on the fast food concession, “Sausage Hero’s”, feels like an appropriate detail.
The motel setting for much of the action did not completely work for me. It allowed for rapid entrances and exits, spying through windows and swift transitions between indoors and outside. But there was also a lot of jumping between rooms, with the disguised soldiers entering the ladies’ rooms without permission but also without any real sense of outrage from the sisters whose space had been invaded. That said, the sense of chaos that it creates does serve to heighten the deception at the heart of the story.
The title Cosi Fan Tutte translates as “So do they all”, the use of the feminine plural form for “Tutte” means that it is usually interpreted as “Women are Like That”. The idea at the heart of the story, three men trying to trick women into infidelity because they are fickle creatures who can’t help themselves, has more than a hint of misogyny about it, but certainly in this production, the men are the ones who look foolish with the female characters feeling much more rounded with a greater emotional range and taking the lion’s share of the stand-out arias.
It’s best not to dwell too much on the plot – donning a fake moustache makes the men unrecognisable to their sweethearts, maid Despina is herself a mistress of disguise, and the vibration therapy used at the climax of the first act doesn’t scream scientific accuracy! But, the various deceptions of these theatrical devices are not there to be scrutinised, they are there for our entertainment and all add to the fun of this light but very enjoyable performance.
The six principal singers are all impressive. Andrew Foster-Williams is charismatic as master manipulator Don Alfonso. Darwin Prakash impresses as lovelorn Guiglielmo and Taylor Raven offers a beautiful warm tone as Dorabella.
At this performance, the role of Ferrando was played by Osian Wyn Bowen – a young Welsh Tenor who is a 2025/26 ENO Harewood Artist, a scheme that offers specialist coaching, support and guidance to exceptionally talented singers. Scheduled to perform the role for Holland Park Opera this summer, he stepped in at very short notice and his performance was assured, confident and full of charm and humour with, of course, exceptional singing. If this is one of his early ENO performances, perhaps even his debut, then he has a very bright future ahead of him.
Other stand outs were Ailish Tynan as Despina and Lucy Crowe playing Fiordiligi. Tynan lets her gorgeous Irish lilt come through in her singing, moving around the stage with a mischievous effervescence that’s infectious. Crowe moves effortlessly from playful flirtation to angst-ridden misery, a beautifully expressive performance. Her singing, with two of the piece’s most challenging and dramatic arias, is sublime.
Under the direction of Dinis Sousa, Principal Conductor of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the orchestra produces a beautiful sound, perfectly balanced with the on-stage singers. Their voices, outstanding in solos, blend beautifully in duets, trios and full ensemble pieces.
At this production a BSL Interpreter accompanied the performance, part of the ENO’s commitment to accessibility. The addition of surtitles above the stage means that, although the performers’ diction and intentions are very clear, it was easy to keep up with the odd word or phrase that you could easily miss in such a rich sensory experience.
It is a real treat to visit the London Coliseum – a stunning venue with a long tradition of staging first class operatic performance. This production of Cosi Fan Tutte is no exception, offering a highly entertaining and visually stunning evening of escapism, with outstanding vocal performances. This would be an excellent introduction to opera for anybody new to the genre, as well as ticking all the right boxes for a more seasoned opera fan.
Cosi Fan Tutte is on stage until Saturday 21st February. Find out more about it and all that the ENO has to offer here.
★★★★