Last week, the Washington National Opera's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program staged Mozart's "Cos Fan Tutte" at the Opera Studio in Takoma Park.
All of the major roles, including singers, musicians, conductor and director, were played by members of the program. It was the first time the space, which is usually used for rehearsals, has been used to host a performance.
The space seats about 200 and is very rough around the edges. Although director Andrea Dorf claimed to be inspired by the "blank canvas" of the white walls, the scene looked largely unfinished and the exposed pipes of the ceiling detracted from the show. Moreover, the mismatched folding chairs were far too uncomfortable for an opera of this length and gave the feeling that one was attending a high school musical.
However, Dorf did some very creative things with the stage design to best use the nontraditional performance space. She set the opera in an alley style, with the audience on both sides of the stage rather than facing it, and stripped the opera's full orchestra and chorus down to a basic chamber group. She also chose to set the opera in the relative present. These changes worked surprisingly well. However, Christmas lights do not an enchanted garden make, and the cell phone photos being taken throughout the show were extremely annoying.
Despite the barrenness of the set, the acoustics in the studio are fabulous. The music balanced nicely with the vocals and no group overpowered the other. Conductor Benjamin Makino did a great job of playing to the characters, and the musical performance was perhaps the strongest element of the show.
The title of the opera means "thus do all women," and the plot is based on the libretto by Lorenzo de Ponte. It tells the story of a professor who bets two of his students that their lovers will cheat on them if given the opportunity because that is human nature. They pretend to be called away to the military and return disguised to attempt to seduce each other's girlfriend. It is a generally amusing, if somewhat misogynistic take on the fickleness of love.
The actual performance of the opera had its strengths and weaknesses. The singing was outstanding and with their eyes closed, the audience members could scarcely have differentiated between the Studio and the Kennedy Center. Unfortunately, upon opening them, they would quickly realize that is not the case.
The standout performance was delivered by soprano Elizabeth Andrews Roberts (Despina), whose firm grip on humor and timing made her portrayal of the meddling and manipulative servant hilarious and engaging. Her energy prevented the opera from veering into that dangerous place between dull and histrionic.
Soprano Aundi Marie Moore (Fiordiligi) also gives a solid performance. Her earnestness and devotion make the audience empathize with her bizarre situation and makes them care about whether she makes the right decision.
Regretfully, alto Claudia Huckle (Dorabella) had a little more difficulty with the actual acting portion of the opera. Although her singing was strong, she seemed incapable of maintaining the emotion in her face while doing so and ended up looking younger and more petulant than the rest of the cast.
The funniest part of the play came when the men disguised themselves. Their ridiculous outfits and mustaches seemed a throwback to bad '70s porn produced on low budget, and they proceeded to attempt to woo the ladies with an awkward seduction a la "Napoleon Dynamite."
Although originally scheduled for only two performances, an additional two performances were added after they sold out within hours. The crowd was younger than usual, as the tickets were primarily sold to the WNO's Generation O, a group of students and young professionals between the ages of 18 and 35 that can be joined on the WNO's Web site.
