Mozart's comic masterpiece of mistaken identity and tested love, Così was the first opera mounted by Bronx Opera, with its initial performance taking place in November of 1967. The present production, conducted by Michael Spierman and Eric Kramer, and directed by Ben Spierman, updates the action from eighteenth century Naples to the New York City area, in 1966.
Director Ben Spierman frames this production as a Dungeons & Dragons-style game among friends, with the Witch as game master — adults collaboratively storytelling as Hansel and Gretel, rather than simply playing younger. The production also features a significantly larger orchestra than Bronx Opera typically uses, too large for the Lovinger's pit — so, as with last season's Iolanthe, the orchestra moves to center stage with the singers brought forward, and projections carry the visual storytelling.