The first time I ever went to the opera, my grandmother had to bribe me with a piece of chocolate cake during each of the three intermissions in order to keep me in my seat. However, I have since come to appreciate the garish costumes, bold sets, and powerful singing that make opera unique. Though the Dunster House Opera (DHO) Society’s rendition of “Così Fan Tutte” is a more relaxed interpretation of these operatic traditions, Saturday’s opening night performance was entertaining and carefully composed, successfully bringing the high art of opera to the Dunster dining hall.

For its 15th anniversary, the DHO returned to “Così fan Tutte,” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s and Lorenzo da Ponte’s 1790 tale of female infidelity and mistaken identity. While the opening Friday evening performance was cancelled at the last minute, leaving me with visions of directorial anguish, half-assembled sets, and missed cues, my fears were misplaced. Producers Lucy S. Mackinnon ’09 and Catherine E. Powell ’08 were forced to move Friday’s performance to Saturday because Julia S. Cavallaro ’08, who plays Fiordiligi, came down sick. In an effort to preserve Cavallaro’s voice, the part of Fiordiligi was sung by Vira Slywotzky, a New England Finalist in the 2008 Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions, from the wings of the stage while Cavallaro continued to act out her character’s two messy love affairs.

“Così fan Tutte,” which means “women are all alike,” was originally considered highly controversial due to its racy subject matter and was rarely performed for much of its early history. However, this same bawdiness appeals to modern college audiences; the DHO performed “Cosi fan Tutte” as recently as 2004. In keeping with its mission to make opera that is “youthfully innovative,” the DHO decided to set the production in the 1920s and all songs are performed using Andrew Porter’s English translations.

Despite these concessions to a lay audience, the actors are talented and the production is polished and professional. Turning the Dunster House dining hall, grand as it is, into a useable venue for opera is no small feat and the set designed by Thalassa G. Raasch ’09 is a success because its functionality makes the most of a challenging space. A backlit screen offers the opportunity for stage director Matthew M. Spellberg ’09 to display two locations to the audience at the same time. The one major set change is seamless as two large doors open to replace a living room with a garden landscape.

The talented cast fills Raasch’s set well, using both their voices and their gestures to bring Mozart’s story of seduction and betrayal to life. Don Alfonso, played by Jonathan G. Roberts ’09, plots a test of female loyalty, but he needs the treacherous persuasion that Robin W. Reinert ’10 brings to her role of Despina in order to orchestrate his con. Both Roberts and Reinert carry the production with their strong voices and ability to lend just the right mixture of levity and profundity to each scene.

At its core, “Così fan Tutte” revolves around the fate of two couples—Dorabella and Guglielmo, played by Melinda N. Biocchi ’08 and John D. Kapusta ’09, and Fiordiligi and Ferrando, portrayed by Cavallaro and Noah Van Niel ’08 respectively. In Saturday night’s performance, Cavallaro overcame her illness to deliver a strong performance with her emotive facial expressions. Kapusta enhances the humor written into each of his scenes by masterfully contorting his countenance—which drew repeated laughs from the nearly sold-out crowd. All the actors on stage use the natural chemistry between them to enliven the material and make Mozart’s 18th century opera relevant to the 21st century.

Tying the direction, set design, and acting together is the live orchestral music that John M. Sullivan ’09 guides as music director. The music is expertly performed and enhances the audience experience. Along with the set, the live music works to transform a dining hall into a true opera house. At times, though, the music becomes too strong and drowns out the words of the actors. While the English translation should be easier to understand than the original Italian, it in fact may have detracted from the overall operatic experience and made some scenes difficult to follow. The unintentional competition between actor and musician for dominance becomes frustrating at times, but the audience can use facial cues and the clear blocking to understand the action.

At just over three hours in length, “Così fan Tutte” asks a great deal of its audience, both in terms of attention and stamina. The cast and crew hold up their end of the bargain and deliver a performance worth the audience’s effort. For those who are still opera virgins, the twisting plot and provocative subject matter make “Così fan Tutte” a good first experience. Rest assured, no chocolate cake is required for this production.

—Reviewer Eric M. Sefton can be reached at esefton@fas.harvard.edu.