London Coliseum, 16 May 2014

The most recent WNO production of Cosi set it in a run-down seaside town and boarding house. It was not particularly gripping though it rarely upstaged the music. ENO has gone one further. Phelim McDermott sets his production in an American fairground and motel, and does his utmost to undermine any subtlety that Mozart and Da Ponte are attempting to create.

The overture is swamped by the belly laughs and applause from the audience as various members of the skills ensemble pop out of a box and hold up flash cards. This sets the tone for a very uneven evening. The producer seems to have no trust in either librettist or composer. Dorabella’s Smanie implacabili is made to seem like a joke – as if her emotions are not serious – and Fiordiligi’s Come scoglio is reduced to farce by a constant coming in and out of doors. By turning any aria into situation comedy the psychology of the character is deeply undermined. Ferrando is allowed to sing un’aura amorosa without interruption but this was a rare moment of calm.

Having created a situation in the overture where the audience are encouraged to react, the evening was constantly being halted by applause. Many years ago now Sir Peter Hall at Glyndebourne developed a Mozartian style which allowed the action to unfold almost breathlessly, flowing through arias and recitatives without pause and so maintaining the impact of the narrative line. Here, unfortunately, any excuse for a laugh was highlighted and the interaction of characters left to fend for themselves. If one removed the extraneous detail there was little of any consequence happening on stage.

There were occasional good ideas. Using the magician’s cage for the end of act one was at least logical and amusing. Used within a tighter context it would have been even more effective. However, with so little character development, by the time the end came we were indifferent to the outcome as we had not be drawn to care about these people.

That the singers managed to cope so well was a tribute to them. Kate Valentine and Christine Rice made a well contrasted pair of sisters but were never allowed to develop their individuality with any subtlety. Marcus Farnsworth was a bluff Guglielmo but Randall Bills sounded rather tight at the top of the voice, though this may have been first night nerves. Mary Bevan’s Despina was turned into a chalet maid but she seemed born for better things. Her singing and acting was almost too intelligent for her situation.

Roderick Williams is a consummate performer and has the potential to be one of the finest Don Alfonso’s. He certainly sang the part with humour and panache, but the Sportin’ Life style characterisation was inappropriate throughout.

The orchestra under Ryan Wigglesworth seemed to be on form, even if timing was often adrift between stage and pit.

One noteworthy point to conclude. The surtitles were off on this evening and we all had to concentrate on what we actually heard rather than respond to the words floating above. As such, reactions were far more concentrated on what was actually taking place, and the diction from all concerned was impressive.