Bringing Them Back: How opera's inherited repertoire can attract & retain audiences
At a recent Detroit Opera performance of Così fan tutte, Mozart’s comedy veered into an audience participation experience, Rocky Horror-style, when some listeners turned on Don Alfonso with calls of “Shame on you!” and “Justice for Despina!” The production, directed by Yuval Sharon, reimagines Don Alfonso as a misogynistic tech CEO and the opera as a product launch for his company’s newest AI creation: humanoid robots that serve as loyal female companions. When the microphone-wielding Don fielded questions from planted audience members in the theater aisles, actual patrons took this as their cue.
This article was published in the Summer 2025 issue of Opera America Magazine.
Brian Wise
Brian Wise is a journalist based in New York. He is the editor of Overtones, the magazine of the Curtis Institute of Music, and the producer of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra radio series.
