A Little Too Cozy, Against the Grain Theatre’s re-imagining of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, is coming to Studio 42 at CBC from May 12 to 21. The whole concept – a reality matchmaking game show in front of a live studio audience – toys with the idea of the original opera, which literally translates to “Thus do all women” (read: All women cheat).
It goes like this: Two men bet that their fiancées are faithful, then test the women by trying to seduce them in disguise. When they eventually succeed, it proves the saying of the opera’s title, So do all (i.e., all women are unfaithful). A nice 21st-century idea. So how do you go about switching up an old-school opera to resonate with a 21st Century audience? We asked Joel Ivany, AtG founder and artistic director:
SDTC: It seems that the original opera was sexist (no surprise) in tone. How does this adaptation toy with the original concept?
Our concept of this opera lives in the world of reality TV. Both the men and women, whether they’re show participants or staffers, are all caught up in the the drama that unfolds over eight weeks of taping. This adaptation of Così fan tutte places the blame on one and all. As soon as you try to “play” with real emotions, real life and real situations, things become distorted and surreal. We’re not saying “All women are like this,” but rather, “We’re all like this.”
SDTC: Can you give us some examples of lines from the opera?
“Who are these two silly Himbos?”
“What about our matching Snuggies?”
“They ate some fishy sushi and now it’s nearly over.”
“Put your tail between your thin pins.”
“I like chocolate fudge, I like creme brûlée, sometimes I just want them all!”
What will surprise most people about this opera?
People will be surprised by how accurate a reflection this adaptation is of contemporary society, since the story is based on an opera written over two hundred years ago. It’s a true testament to the genius of the piece.
Why is it important to keep opera alive for the next generation?
The unamplified operatic voice is truly one of the wonders of the world, and not enough people have experienced it live and close up. The challenge for the next generation is defining the word “opera” and what it means to them, since many people under a certain age have no context. Hopefully the art that we do establishes context and reflects the times that we live in, whether it’s a brand new piece or Mozart.
Catch A Little Too Cozy this month; buy tickets here.
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