LOUIS NOWRA’S ‘COSI’ @ THE DRAMA THEATRE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

In Louis Nowra’s play COSI (1971), Lewis is a thespian strapped for cash, who takes on the job of directing  a group of psych patients at a psychiatric facility  in a show. The brief that he has been given is just to put on something  easy to do, however one of the patients Roy manages to persuade him to tackle Mozart’s complex comic opera, Cosi Fan Tutte.  Somehow Lewis gets his group of people who have  all had ‘hard knocks’ to perform an albeit very different production of Mozart’s classic opera.

Sarah Goodes’ current revival of Nowra’s classic work serves the play well. If you like a multi-layered, textured night at the theatre, then this is your ticket! The play works on a number of different levels;  there’s the patients and their quirks…the opera within the play.  Mozart’s opera is about infidelity and infidelity comes up as a theme within the play. There’s also the drama of the rehearsals taking place inside the hospital and the anti- Vietnam  war protests taking place outside.

As well as the play’s different layers, COSI works as genuine actor’s theatre, there are so many roles that give the cast a chance to shine. Nowra’s characters are troubled, and Nowra makes a lot of humour out of them and yet he still writes his characters with a lot of sensitivity and heart.

Still Nowra writes his characters with sensitivity and a lot of heart.

Plenty of accolades for the cast! Sean Keenan gave a very grounded performance in the leading role of Lewis.

Robert Menzies was memorable and terrific as Roy whose moods vary dramatically. Menzies’ colourful performance held my attention right the way through.

Katherine Tonkin impressed as the fragile, dependent Ruth, dogged by an obsessive compulsive disorder that dominates her life.

Rahel Romahn  revelled in playing Doug, the most bizarre of the characters, who has been let out of the chronic ward  and has a thing with matches. Doug is a bit hyper and one doesn’t know where he will turn up next.

Gabriel Fancourt shone as Zac, the group’s only musician, always about  to go off on a different tangent, including playing the accordion. Fancourt also played the role of Nick, Lewis’ friend and flatmate.

Glenn Hazeldine impressed as the impaired,, stuttering ex lawyer Henry who has ended up in hospital after his wife went off with another man.

Bessie Holland was very funny as Cherry, a big Bertha type character who gets quite assertive and volatile at times.

Esther Hannaford  impressed playing two roles that of  druggie Julie and Lewis’ girlfriend, Lucy.

George Zhao played the role of the erstwhile social worker, Justin.

Fast paced, action packed, comic fuelled night at the theatre. It’s there to be enjoyed. Louis Nowra’s COSI opened at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House on Tuesday 5th November, 2019 and is playing  until Saturday 14th December, 2019.

Featured image- Rahel Romahn and Sean Keenan in Cosi at the Sydney Opera House. Pic Jeff Busby