At the Detroit Opera House, audiences ready to watch “Cosi fan tutte” may encounter an unexpected twist as the opera blends classical music with modern technology. Artistic Director Yuval Sharon has reimagined Mozart’s work through the lens of artificial intelligence, providing a fresh, contemporary spin on the 1790 piece.
“Cosi fan tutte,” the last of Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte’s operatic collaborations, merges delightful melodies with underlying cynicism, which may have hindered its popularity over time. The title, translating to “Women are Like That,” has sparked debates over its apparent misogyny, notably expressed by the character Don Alfonso. Sharon, however, argues the work does not seek to demean women.
Sharon suggests that Mozart and Da Ponte’s narrative represents a perspective we’re meant to challenge rather than accept. In the opera, the philosopher Don Alfonso bets two young men that their companions, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, would be unfaithful if given a chance. Disguised, the men attempt to seduce each other’s partners, who eventually succumb.
In Sharon’s rendition, Don Alfonso is reimagined as a CEO of an AI enterprise called SoulSync, where the younger characters create female automatons as ideal partners. Sharon believes this mirrors a current tech industry mindset where AI is seen as a solution to human failings. He describes Alfonso as emblematic of this tech-driven, dehumanized future vision.
Thomas Lehman, portraying Guglielmo, one of the lovers, sees Sharon’s overhaul of the opera as a shift towards balance. Lehman notes that the revised story grants the female characters the strength that was initially overshadowed by male perspectives. Likewise, Emily Fons, playing Dorabella, appreciates Sharon’s approach to giving old works a modern voice, emphasizing the evolution of the automatons learning to feel and deciding their fate.
Sharon envisions the automaton characters transitioning from mechanical beings to exhibiting human emotions, while the men’s characters grow less appealing over time. The opera hints at human mechanization, seen in a scene with a magnet, referencing Franz Mesmer’s theories—an inspiration for Sharon’s interpretation. Mesmer’s 18th-century medical practice involved aligning body metals with magnets, and this concept aligns with Sharon’s thematic intent.
Opening on April 5 for a sequence of performances, Sharon’s production engages the audience with reflections on AI’s societal impact while preserving a comedic undercurrent. He purposefully omits spoilers for Act II, opting instead for a narrative that surprises and engages as it unfolds live. This enigmatic approach invites viewers to experience the story’s revelations directly, avoiding any preconceptions.