David Wolfe, Kara Morgan, Kylie Kreucher, and Angel Vargas Photo by Cory Weaver

With Mozart, you are guaranteed an evening of beautiful music, a feast of intricate melodies laced with wit and passion that offer performers many opportunities to shine, as is the case for the six principals in the current Così Fan Tutte. Conductor Christopher Franklin, leading the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, fifty members strong, continues to deliver stirring renditions of whatever is placed on his podium.

Of course, this is not a mere concert, but a full-blown production that tells a story. And if you feel like I am beating around the bush getting to that, you aren't all wrong. That's because, as in most examples of opera buffa, the plot for which Mozart composed this wonderful score is a pretty half-baked affair. Yet, as laid out with elan by stage director Doug Scholz-Carlson, there is a lightness and an eye-winking pleasure in the telling of the story.

In this case, the story, with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, who also collaborated with Mozart on The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, is a sex comedy in which two soldiers and boon companion, Fernando and Guglielmo, smugly brag about the staunch faithfulness of their respective fiancées, Dorabella and Fiordiligi, who are sisters. Don Alfonso scoffs at their boasts, saying that women have just as much a tendency to stray, given the chance, as do men. When the two friends rebuff his claim, Don Alfonso proposes a wager: that within 24 hours, both ladies will prove themselves unfaithful–provided Fernando and Guglielmo follow all of his instructions. They accept the wager, already plotting to spend the money they feel confident of winning.

Don Alfonso's plan is to have Fernando and Guglielmo pretend that they have been called up to active duty and must leave at once. Then they return in disguise, and each sets out to see if they can seduce the other's sweetheart. Don Alfonso enlists the aid of the sisters' maid, Despina, in carrying out this scheme. It takes a few attempts, but, in the end, Don Alfonso wins his bet. He counsels the chagrined gentlemen to take heart and accept these women's fickleness because "così fan tutte," which translates as "so do they all," with "they" in the feminine form; in other words, "all women are like that." At Così Fan Tutte's premiere in 1790, all was forgiven and the two couples reconcile.

But maybe not. Stage director Scholz-Carlson has made a few changes that bring a buoyancy to the narrative to match that of the score. For one thing, the couples don't necessarily reconcile. Instead, the audience decides, based on what we have seen up to the intermission. The choices are 1) having the couples reconcile; 2) having them switch partners, after each sister has had a tryst with the other's fiancé (albeit, unwittingly); or 3) having all four go their separate ways. The voting is a simple process set up in multiple lobby locations. Cast members are told during the course of the second act which of the three endings has been chosen. All three endings are devised to use the same Mozart score and Da Ponte libretto. I would be keen on returning to see how each of the endings is accomplished, but have to settle for seeing the one that received the most votes from the opening night audience.

Another change is shifting the setting from 18th century Naples to modern times. That means we see Ferrando and Guglielmo behaving like beer commercial bros, more jazzed up in the opening scene about their video game than their love life–as soon as they enter their home, both make a wild dash for the remotes. The two sisters are not maidens awaiting marriage, but run a design business together; Despina is not their maid, but their administrative assistant.

There are visual gags, such as a poster for a client, Sonata Airlines, with the tag line "We orchestrate the art of flying." A scene in which the two disguised men try to win the ladies' favor by taking poison out of despair for their love, is a little comedy gem. A lot of similar good fun cuts through some–though not all–of the plot's ick factor. Whether by design or not, in this reconfiguration the two sisters have it a lot more together than do their men. Could that be a commentary on current social norms?

The six principals all bring gorgeous voices and strong acting skill to their roles. Soprano Kylie Kreucher, as Fiordiligi, the more reticent sister, has a couple of serious musical pieces. Her Act I aria "Come scoglio" and Act II aria "Per pietà, ben mio, perdona" are equally stunning. Mezzo-soprano Kara Morgan is delightful as the less morally burdened Dorabella, and her "E amore un ladroncello" is a sly delight.

Soprano Lindsay Ohse looks to be having the most fun as Despina, who in the course of events also disguises herself as a doctor (Amber Brown's costumes are spot-on throughout, but reach their pinnacle here) and as a notary. She exudes brio advising the sisters when their fiancés join the troops in her aria "In uomini, in soldati, sperare fedeltà?," translated as "In men, in soldiers, you hope for faithfulness?"

Tenor Angel Vargas is especially winning as Ferrando, with a sad-sack countenance that gets laughs and wins our sympathies. He beams with joy when, early on, Dorabella has remained true to him, expressed in the heartwarming "Un'aura amorosa," and later tries his darndest to woo his friend's fiancée, beautifully singing "Ah, lo veggio." As Guglielmo, baritone David Wolfe projects the character's somewhat cocky outlook, extolling his manly virtues in the aria: "Non siate ritrosi," though also showing sensitivity to his friend's plight in "donne mie, lat fate a tanti."

John Mburu brings a smooth and sturdy bass to the role of Don Alfonso, calculatedly laying out his premise in "Oh, poverini, per femmina giocare cento zecchini?" ("Oh poor little ones, to wager 100 sequins on a woman?"). Wolfe is superb joining Kreucher and Morgan in a trio as they bid farewell to the men heading off to the army ("Soave sia il vento").

The Opera Chorus is smaller than usual, with just twelve singers, but sounds grand. They sing in only a couple of scenes, but also appear in a crowd gathered to see off the soldiers, as passers-by in the park, as employees in the design firm, and as presumptive wedding guests (yes, there is a wedding scene, but don't go jumping to conclusions). Paul Whitaker's scenic and lighting design is cleverly efficient in switching between the guys' apartment, the women's office, a tavern, and a number of public spaces.

In spite of getting to choose our ending, Scholz-Carlson's ingenious and witty updates, the sparkling cast and excellent design, and the rapturous Minnesota Opera Orchestra, it is still hard to let lie some of the incredulous things about this story. For one thing, I never could figure out what motivates Don Alfonso to set up this potentially disastrous scheme. Is it simply that he sees a good bet, is he exercising some sinister impulse, or does he really believe he is doing his cronies a good turn by disabusing them of their belief in their fiancées' fidelity?

Then again, incredulity is usually the case with opera buffa. You go for the music, the voices, and the orchestra, the staging, the dancing (if there is any), and hope to find the story amusing. Lay aside your expectations for rational behavior, and let yourself be amused by their hijinks and enthralled by all the wonderful artistry wrapped around it.

Così Fan Tutte runs through November 9, 2025, presented by Minnesota Opera at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-333-6699 or visit www.mnopera.org.

Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto: Loreno Da Ponte; Principal Conductor: Christopher Franklin; Stage Director: Doug Scholz-Carlson; Scenic and Lighting Design: Paul Whitaker; Costume Design: Amber Brown; Wig, Hair and Make-Up Design: Emma Gustafson; Intimacy Director: Annie Enneking; Head of Music and Assistant Conductor: Mario Antonio Marra; Chorus Director: Celeste Marie Johnson; Répétiteur: Fumiyasu Kawase; Stage Manager: Luci Burdick.

Cast: Kylie Kreucher (Fiordiligi), John Mburu (Don Alfonso), Kara Morgan (Dorabella), Lindsay Ohse (Despina), Angel Vargas (Ferrando), David Wolfe (Guglielmo).