A PRODUCTION of Mozart’s comic opera ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ will be staged at the Guesten Hall at Avoncroft Museum at 7.30pm on Thursday, March 24.
It will be performed by Consensus Opera and the event – jointly organised by The Bromsgrove Society and Bromsgrove Court Leet – will give a platform to local musicians as well as raise funds for charities in the area.
Consensus Opera, founded and run by Tim and Claire Johnson, specialises in taking opera and making it more accessible for modern audiences.
Tim has taken ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ and ‘updated it a little’.
Even without an interval, the original opera is over three hours long and, especially if sung in Italian, can be a little hard to follow.
Tim has translated the opera into English and stripped out a lot of the recitative, replacing some of that with dialogue so the story is easier to understand.
He has also modernised the story. So, instead of two 18th century army officers, the two male leading roles are now safety engineers who deal with emergencies at oil production installations.
The show is set in a cafe so the Guesten Hall will be laid out cafe style which also lends an air of informality about the evening.
This new production is in English and – including a 20-minute interval – will finish around 10pm.
Taking the lead role in the opera’s master con-man (Don Alfonso) is Bromsgrove’s David Coulson who many will know from his performances with the Police Choir and at St John’s Church in Bromsgrove.
Tickets – available at cosi-fan-tutte-bromsgrove.eventbrite.co.uk – are £15 per person.
The audience are encouraged to bring their own drinks and nibbles to help to create the cafe-style atmosphere.
Funds raised from the night will be split between the Bromsgrove Society and the Court Leet Charity Fund to support local organisations.
Visit consensusopera.uk for more on the company which was founded and is run by Tim and Claire Johnson.
