It is Mozart. And opera buffa has the tradition to suspend our disbelief...But after attending this production I wanted to go home and dig into the nuances of the libretti. The coarseness at times insults the emotion of the music. While I personally like my opera either in period or out of period...this production spans a few eras, ultimately unsuccessfully. There was a bit too much exposed flesh for me...but I am older and have been attending opera for 40+ years. It confused the friend I took. I honestly think the superscript did NOT helpfully interpret what was the intent of the plot...or irony. There were times I was fascinated by the set projections. As above...I did not get the camo and animals. The Newmark lends great sound balance for the voices and I doubt there is a "bad" seat! I am glad I did not take my 10 year old granddaughter OR son-in-law. Not a good introduction to opera as an art form. Great artists.

The first half of this opera was beautifully done with regard to the costumes, staging, vocals, acting and orchestra. I reached intermission having laughed (in all the right places) and marveled at the production's high quality. We couldn't wait for the rest of the show! However, during the second half, the show took the weirdest turns, leaving my friend and I shaking our heads in confusion and wondering who they were playing to. It was almost as if the production assumed the audience wasn't mature enough to appreciate it as written, so doing things like having the cast leap around wearing gorilla masks seemed like the only way to keep our attention. The weird animal costumes and modern day time hops cheapened the story further until we were both wondering where this whole thing was even going. By the time it was over, we couldn't wait to get out of there. I would not consider this production appropriate for children or my mother. Sorry.