Google tells me it takes about 17 muscles to activate a genuine smile. It was, therefore, a smashing facial workout when, for well over two hours, it was smiles from start to finish at the opening of Melbourne Opera’s special production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte.

Showcasing the extraordinary talents of emerging and developing artists of the Richard Divall Program in a simple yet spirited staging, the work finds both sparkle and sincerity under Program Director Suzanne Chaundy’s direction.

The story follows two young sisters whose soldier fiancés, egged on by the sly philosopher Don Alfonso, decide to test their lovers’ fidelity. Disguised as flamboyant “Albanians”, they flirt with each other’s partners, only to discover that love, loyalty and temptation are trickier to control than imagined.

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