People Are Like That: Inside Così fan tutte with Rob Herriot and Les Dala — laughter, honesty, and a Canadian reimagining

Mozart’s Così fan tutte is often described as light, mischievous, even trivial. But sit with it — really sit with it — and it reveals itself as one of opera’s most psychologically perceptive works.

In this episode of Inside Vancouver Opera, host Ashley Daniel Foot is joined by stage director Rob Herriot and Vancouver Opera’s Associate Music Director and conductor Les Dala to explore a distinctly Canadian production of Così fan tutte, originally created at Manitoba Opera and now remounted in Vancouver.

Set in the early 1930s at an elegant hotel on the edge of the Canadian wilderness, this staging features Mounties, waltzing log drivers, and a visual world inspired by Canadian film and National Film Board imagery. But beneath the wit and theatrical charm lies something deeper: Mozart’s refusal to lie. Even when his characters disguise themselves, role-play, or betray one another, the music tells the truth.

Rob and Les reflect on trusting the score, the humanity of the characters, the generosity — and ambiguity — of the opera’s ending, and why Così fan tutte remains one of the most honest works Mozart ever wrote. It’s an episode about laughter, contradiction, and what it means to recognize ourselves in the mess.

• Why Così fan tutte may be Mozart’s most human opera

• How this Canadian production originated at Manitoba Opera

• Trusting the music as psychological truth

• Reframing Così beyond its controversial title

• Why the ending sounds forgiving — even when nothing is fully resolved

• How humour becomes a gateway for new audiences

Host: Ashley Daniel Foot

Guests: Rob Herriot, Les Dala

Podcast: Inside Vancouver Opera

Produced by: Vancouver Opera

Music excerpts courtesy of Vancouver Opera

Audio editing by Mack McGillivray

Vancouver Opera presents Così fan tutte

📅 February 7, 12 & 15

📍 Queen Elizabeth Theatre

🎟 Tickets & info: Vancouver Opera

What You’ll Hear in This EpisodeProduction & CreditsTickets & More