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Not so long ago, Così Fan Tutte seemed full of pitfalls. On the surface Mozart and Da Ponte’s opera is full of cynicism, cruelty and outdated sexual politics: if a production skates over these, isn’t that a cop-out? Now, though – and this week in particular – you could argue that Phelim McDermott’s 2014 ENO staging lands as something of a relief, serving up those issues with a witty garnish and presenting them as sheer entertainment.
The overture sets up what’s to come: in front of a lamé curtain, 12 circus performers unfold themselves one by one from a trunk, carrying placards promising Lust! Intrigue! Big Arias! This staging has its tongue firmly in its cheek from the start. The setting is Coney Island in the 1950s: Act 1 is Happy Days meets motel farce, thanks to the nimbly rotating walls of Tom Pye’s set, with Guglielmo and Ferrando channelling the Fonz in their disguises.
There’s a lot of potential distraction – from those dozen extras, who bend, tumble, sword-swallow and fire-eat their way through the show, and to a lesser extent from the ENO chorus as the mostly silent fair-goers (is that a real candy-floss machine?). But our attention stays where it needs to. By the end even the circus performers seem to know that they’re not the main attraction here – something even more mind-boggling has been going on in their midst. Nor is the cynicism one-sided. When Guglielmo rants about women’s fickleness he is watched from behind the hamburger stand by an increasingly large posse of the female extras, looking bored and unimpressed as they wipe the beer glasses. It’s a neat way of throwing the shade back on to the men.
It helps that this revival is so strongly cast and that the orchestra, conducted by Dinis Sousa, sounds so energised. Jeremy Sams’s agile, funny translation of the text comes across clearly, the harpsichord zipping along underneath. Andrew Foster-Williams is on superb form as spivvy Don Alfonso, just occasionally offering a tantalising glimpse of self-doubt, and Darwin Prakash and Joshua Blue make a nice double act as Guglielmo and Ferrando, Blue especially standing out for the smooth line of his tenor and his warmth on stage.
Meanwhile, Taylor Raven’s quieter but well-sung Dorabella is a good foil for an outstanding Fiordiligi from the soprano Lucy Crowe: her Act 2 aria, sung from a Ferris-wheel carriage, is a rare but effective moment of intense focus. Ailish Tynan is on cracking form as Despina, balancing mischievous energy with the sense of having seen it all before. Why two such respectable girls are staying unchaperoned at her cheap motel is unclear – but such nitpicking questions are beside the point. Better to enjoy Così than to pull it apart.
