Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...If whimsy is your bag, the very lively staging at Lyric, originally directed by Michael Cavanagh for the San Fransisco Opera in 2021, has it aplenty, notwithstanding the lack of color in Erhard Rom’s greige setting, a riff on architectural drawings. Cavanagh, whose staging is re-created here by Roy Rallo, sets the events in a swell, 1930s country club in the horsy environs of the nation’s capital (telephone number: Amadeus1790)."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Despite a bobble or two Sunday in the French horns, the Lyric Opera Orchestra is in its usual fine form here. Music director Enrique Mazzola takes a fascinatingly understated yet still effective approach to the score, with Jerad Mosbey providing first-rate period stylings on the fortepiano."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Original director Michael Cavanagh, who developed this production for San Francisco Opera, moved the setting from 18th-century Italy to a 1930s-era east coast American country club (located at 1776 Country Club Circle). The result is a dizzying but dazzling mash-up of 18th- and 20th-century references in sets and costumes, including a riot of seaside stripes and silver-screen-inspired satin gowns. It’s elegant fun."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...This was my third time seeing Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte. The second was Lyric’s 2018 production. While I was concerned about the three-and-a-half-hour runtime on a Sunday afternoon, I need not have worried. I had an absolute blast! The cast was outstanding, both as to their gorgeous singing and their laugh out loud acting. Original Director Michael Cavanaugh kept the atmosphere light and fun, while the design team brought style and panache. And Conductor Enrique Mazzola kept the singers and musicians in time, despite some tricky rhythms. This was easily my favorite Così production yet, and possibly my favorite offering of the season so far."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Love, humor, and Mozart's music; a good production of Così fan tutte has everything you need for a fun time at the theatre. And the production currently at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, originally directed in 2021 by the late Michael Cavanagh, with revival direction by Roy Rallo and Enrique Mazzola conducting, certainly leans into the laughs."
Buzz Center Stage
- Recommended
"...COSI FAN TUTTE translates loosely as ‘Thus Do They All’, referring to the inconstancy – fickleness, even infidelity – of women. ALL women. The opera, composed by Mozart with libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, begins with two infatuated men, Ferrando (Anthony Leon) and Guglielmo (Ian Rucker) extolling the virtues of their fiancées Fiordiligi and Dorabella. Don Alfonso (Rod Gilfry), a self-appointed sage / philosopher, jeers that there is no such thing as a faithful woman and wagers he can prove their perfidy within 24 hours. Ferrando and Guglielmo take the flutter and agree that each will try, in disguise, to seduce the other’s gal. Tough duty, yeah?"
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Così Fan Tutte opened Sunday at the Lyric Opera to a 21st-century audience, the orchestra conducted by maestro Enrique Mazzola, with the Lyric Chorus directed by Michael Black. It was a spectacular afternoon at the Lyric, and one of the best Mozart performances I have seen since The Magic Flute, presented in a silent-film style in 2021. Ray Rallo directs this revival of the late Michael Cavanagh's production with a light touch."
Splash Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...At its heart, Così fan tutte is a witty, and rather cynical exploration of love, trust, and the capriciousness of the human heart. As it was written in 1790, and obviously from the title, the women are the butt of the jokes and the ones who bear the brunt of the play’s criticism, which is at most annoying, and overshadowed here by the charm of the entire production. Mozart’s score, full of dazzling ensembles and delicately expressive arias, is glorious in every note, but the incredibly simple plot can’t really sustain the 3 ½ hours. There’s enough music to fill nearly two operas and enough plot for a single act."
NewCity Chicago
- Recommended
"...Three of the four romantic leads were making their Lyric debuts: soprano Jacquelyn Stucker as Fiordiligi, Italian mezzo soprano Cecilia Molinari as Dorabella and tenor Anthony León as Ferrando. All were impressive, but León’s clarion and organic-sounding tenor was the standout at Sunday’s opening performance. Baritone and Ryan Center alumnus Ian Rucker made a convincing Guglielmo."
