COSI FAN TUTTE
Friday, October 27, 2006
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006

Academy of Fine Arts
Warehouse Theater
Historic Downtown
Lynchburg, Virginia

Mozart’s classic comic opera, Cosi fan tutte was sung in English with supertitles and was directed by company artistic director, Craig Fields. Andrew Altenbach, principal guest conductor of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra and head of operatic coaching studies at Indiana University, conducted.

For this production, artistic director Craig Fields produced the ribald comedy within the time frame of its composition in Vienna, circa 1790, but transported the action to the American colonies, Philadelphia to be precise, where Dr. Benjamin Franklin assumed the role of the opera’s wise philosopher pundit, Don Alfonso. As the young pair of insecure lovers was tested by Dr. Franklin’s pragmatic theories about ‘modern’ love relationships, Franklin demonstrated the power of his newfound scientific discovery, electricity, with great comic effect.

The cast included soprano Lynchburg resident Nora Ivey Moore, soprano Penelope Shumate, mezzo-soprano Perri Montanè, tenor John Pickle, baritone Michael Mayes and dramatic baritone William Andrew Stuckey as Benjamin Franklin. Mr. Stuckey returned after a highly acclaimed appearance as Tonio, in Opera on the James’ spring production of Pagliacci. Patsy Bessolo of Roanoke designed the costumes and former Mill Mountain Theater set designer, John Sailer, designed and constructed the sets.