Cosi in La Boite Theatre Company
Me, alongside with another 130+ Ambassadors, have been briefed by the play’s director, David Berthold, is written by Louis Norwa, inspired by Mozart’s Opera “Cosi Fan Tutte” and has been showed in La Boite in here 3 times. We got to see the preview in the Ambassador Night. Needless to say, it’s comedy is at it’s best with the characters.
The main characters are the hearts of the play. Lewis, a director arrived in the asylum, have to direct a play “Cosi Fan Tutte” with the cast of mental patients. This play is set in the 70’s, where the subject of love, politics have becoming more prevalent in the Vietnam War, with Australia have becoming more apart from America’s stance of the war. Out of all the characters in this play in the beginning, Lewis himself came out the least ambitious as a director, wanting to direct a Brecht play, instead directing Cosi Fan Tutte. He also have differences that set himself apart from his girlfriend Lucy and his friend Nick, who dastardly presents a different approach (politically and stage direction wise) to Lewis. With the cast includes Roy, a theater-obsessive (but also have stage fright) who wants to play the part in Cosi Fan Tutte. Ruth, a patient with a OCD and often have a problem perceiving between the reality and the pretending in the stage. Doug, a pyromaniac had difficult to control his impulse to set things on fire. Henry, a stuttering ex lawyer that has a fit with anyone who supports the communists. Cherry is a loud mouth patient that carries a switchblade, has a crush on Lewis (that and her forcing food on his mouth) and Julie, a junkie that gradually learns to love to play on the part in Cosi.
I think one of the play’s greatest strength is the use of humor into the difficult subjects the play have shown. In a way, the play is more than just trying to just trying to have the characters acted it out within the context, it also showed the difference of ideologies and interpretations through them of the subject matter that happened in Australia in the 70’s, especially with the men vs women take within the society, the fear of communism etc. The mental patients themselves, although have many obstructions ahead, presents many perspectives to Lewis and to us the audience that they are not what they seems to be and also lots of fun when we watching them shaping their own spin of “Cosi Fan Tutte”.
Overall, Cosi is a fun experience, full of laughs and it’s messages never fail to impress us.
Cosi opened in the 8th of February and ends in the 8th of March. Tickets can be booked in laboite.com.au.