Mozart's Comic Opera Cosi fan tutte presented by Pacific Opera Project

Pacific Opera Project (POP) sheds the limelight on Così fan tutte: 18th century Naples collides with Old South at the start of the Civil War, for this cinematically-inspired theatrical update,

Imagine Scarlett O’Hara singing “Come scoglio”, loosely translated as “Great balls of fire.  Don’t bother me anymore and don’t call me sugar”. Fiordiligi and her sister Dorabella yearn for the unavailable Ashley Wilkses of the world while rejecting the available suitors who line the streets of their town. With aloof and haughty attitude, they swear to be true to their lovers, the Confederate soldiers Gulgielmo and Ferrando, even as General Lee calls them up, offering no guarantee of their return. But with two hours of shameless flirtation underway, the ladies’ steadfast fidelity falls by the wayside as the two sisters fall for each other’s fiancés in disguise — as Yankees! Alfonso, a confirmed bachelor and cynic (and friend to the two young men) has fun at the ladies’ expense, ably assisted by their own maid who is looking to line her pockets, and thinks her mistresses are sorry excuses for women anyway. In the end, the drama is revealed, and the lovers begin the hard work of reconstruction. “Women are like that”, the opera’s title is often rendered — as with most Italian expressions, something is lost in translation. These ladies are lovable for their foibles, and their enraged fiancés may yet find a place in their hearts for the poor dears. Come and see how it shakes out!

Blue and Gray casts will perform on alternating nights. Daria Somers (previously seen as Elvira in POP’s 2011 acclaimed Don Giovanni; also Los Angeles Opera Outreach and Montana Lyric Opera) and Katherine Giaquinto (Wolf Trap Opera, Los Angeles Opera Outhreach) share the role of Fiordiligi; her sister Dorabella is sung by Elizabeth Rigby Jones (Second City Training Center) and Kristen Choi (West Bay Opera, YMF Debut Orchestra). Jessica Mamey (from POP’s Trouble in Tahiti last summer and this spring) and Hallie Silverston (Indianapolis Opera, Utah Festival Opera) both sing the role of the maid, Despina. Her partner in crime, Don Alfonso is sung by POP veteran Luvi Avendano (Opera in the Ozarks) and LA notable Eric Castro (Nevada Opera Theatre, Redlands Bowl Orchestra). The sisters’ lovers are sung by Kyle Patterson and Perry Davis Harper (Opera in the Ozarks) as Ferrando; and Michael Blinco (San Diego Opera) and Jeffrey Goble (Opera Theater St. Louis, Music Academy of the West) as Guglielmo. Several of these artists make their West Coast debuts in this production, along with the best in Southern California’s homegrown talent.

Mozart and da Ponte’s third and final collaboration, Così fan tutte, is a delightful comedy in 2 acts. Run time is under three hours with intermission. Content is appropriate for all ages. If you want to hear the 18th century Neapolitan version of “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn”, or “You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how”, then mark your calendars now!

Accompanied by chamber orchestra and harpsichord continuo, the opera is sung in the

original Italian with projected English supertitles. Tickets from $15 available online at www.pacificoperaproject.com or by calling Pacific Opera Project at 323-739-6122.

Who: Pacific Opera Project: Los Angeles’s newest opera company; committed to fully professional productions of worthy masterpieces and daring new works of opera and musical theater produced with artists of the highest caliber in diverse venues.

What: Fully-staged production of W. A. Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte in the style of Gone with the Wind, with orchestra, sung in Italian with English supertitles.

 Where: The Porticoes Theater; 2033 E. Washington Blvd. Pasadena CA; brand new, justjcompleted theater which is part of the Arches Non-Profit Foundation at St. James United Methodist Church in Pasadena. POP will be the first professional company to perform in this intimate, 150-seat venue.

When: Saturday May 12th at 7:30 pm, Sunday May 13th at 3:00 pm,

Saturday May 19th at 7:30 pm, and Sunday May 20th at 3:00 pm