In Louie Nowra’s play COSI (1971), Lewis (Aston Campbell) is a fresh theatre school graduate, strapped for cash, who takes on the job of getting a group of psych patients at a psychiatric facility to put on a show. The brief that he has been given is to just to put on something simple and 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 choir of hard knocks to perform an albeit very different production of Mozart’s classic opera.

Christine Firkin’s current revival for the Epicentre Theatre Company, serves Nowra’s classic play well. If you like a multi-layered, textured night at the theatre, then this has to be your ticket! COSI is like a Russian Doll, you take off one level and then there’s another one and another one… There’s the patients, then there’s their quirks… the play within the play…Mozart’s Opera about infidelity and then the infidelity on stage..the drama of the rehearsals inside and the noise of the anti-Vietnam war protestors 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. Yes the characters are sad cases, and Nowra makes a lot of humour out of them, however he has written the roles with plenty of heart.

Lots of accolades for the cast! Aston Campbell gives a strong performance in the anchor role as Lewis. Darrell Hoffman made for a memorable Roy. With his terrible background, Roy has as many mood changes as Melbourne has weather changes and Hoffman’s colourful performance held me right the way through. Jeannie Gee impressed as the fragile, dependent Ruth, dogged by an obsessive compulsive disorder that dominates her life. Darcy Green is a lot of fun as the grotesque Doug, always lacking in tact and forever looking for a match to do some damage with.

Ben Von Speri shone as the group’s only muso, always about to go off on a different tangent, including requests for Wagner and playing the accordion. David Villanti impressed as the impaired, stuttering ex lawyer Henry who ended up in hospital after his wife goes off with another man. Therese Bean was great fun as the volatile Cherry though she was a little too eager with her cues. Jacqui Wilson impressed as druggie Julie who has a thing going on with Lewis.

Shaelee Rooke as Lewis’s girlfriend Lucy, Matthew Edwards as Lewis’s friend and flatmate Nick and Matthew Cook as the hospital’s social worker Justin perform well in the roles with the least to work with.

An entertaining, engaging night at the theatre, COSI opened on Friday 23rd March and plays until Saturday 31st March, 2012.

(c) David Kary

28th March, 2012

Tags: Sydney Theatre Reviews- COSI, Louis Nowra, Epicentre Theatre Company, Zenith Theatre Chatswood, Christine Firkin, Aston Campbell, Darrell Hoffman, Jacqui Wilson, Shaelee Wilson, Matthew Edwards, Therese Bean, Jeannie Gee, David Villanti, Bert von Speri, Darcy Green, Matthew Cook, Chris Lundie, Sydney Arts Guide, David Kary