At La Scala with Mozart, Carsen crowned king of reality TV

Robert Carsen is a world-renowned director who has created unforgettable opera and theater productions, but since yesterday he has also been crowned king of reality TV, at least at La Scala, where he decided to set the story of Così fan tutte (a story already problematic in the age of MeToo, gender equality, and a lack of irony) in a reality show about love like Love is Blind, Love Island, or Temptation Island, with Big Brother-style confessional monologues, pool scenes, a cameraman on stage to capture close-ups, and a surprise finale. And after all, Mozart and Da Ponte's opera—here directed by Alexander Soddy—tells the story of a bet made by Ferrando (tenor Giovanni Sala) and Guglielmo (baritone Luca Micheletti) to find out if their respective girlfriends Dorabella (Nina van Essen) and Fiordiligi (Elsa Dreisig) are faithful. And so it's reminiscent of reality shows about love and fidelity. In this case, however, the "tempters" who arrive on Temptation Island are themselves transvestites. While the philosopher Don Alfonso (Gerald Finley) and the waitress Despina (Sandrine Piau, in a whisper) are the hosts of the reality show in this case, rightfully so, given that in Così fan tutte they really are the ones running the show. The result is entertaining, coherent, and modern (when Ferrando and Guglielmo pretend to leave for war, they board an aircraft carrier surrounded by a group of sailors, male and female dancers, intent on performing gymnastics in one of Rebecca Howell's choreographies). And this is thanks to Carsen, who also designed the sets with Luis F. Carvalho, who designed the costumes, and the lighting with Peter van Praet. In fact, he received the warmest applause from the audience, something unusual, especially at La Scala. Applause was also given to Alexander Soddy's excellent direction and the cast, with Finley and Piau being less brilliant than the director. Così fan tutte remains a show worth seeing.