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Così
Lewis arrives fresh from university to direct a play at a mental institution. Roy demands Cosi Fan Tutte. An affectionate look at madness and mayhem (2 acts, 5 men, 3 women).
89 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
12 people are currently reading
389 people want to read
About the author
Louis Nowra
54 books40 followersLouis Nowra (born 12 December 1950) is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist. His most significant plays are Così, Byzantine Flowers, Summer of the Aliens, Radiance, and The Golden Age. In 2007 he completed the The Boyce Trilogy for Griffin Theatre Company, consisting of The Woman with Dog's Eyes, The Marvellous Boy and The Emperor of Sydney. Many of his plays have been filmed.[1]
He was born as Mark Doyle in Melbourne. He changed his name to Louis Nowra in the early 1970s. He studied at Melbourne's La Trobe University without earning a degree. In his memoir, The Twelfth of Never, Nowra claimed that he left the course due to a conflict with his professor on Patrick White's The Tree of Man. He worked in several jobs and lived an itinerant lifestyle until the mid-1970s when his plays began to attract attention.
His radio plays include Albert Names Edward, The Song Room, The Widows and the five part The Divine Hammer aired on the ABC in 2003.[2]
In March 2007, Nowra published a controversial book on violence in Aboriginal communities, Bad Dreaming.
Nowra has been studied extensively in Veronica Kelly's work The Theatre of Louis Nowra.
He resides in Sydney with his wife, author Mandy Sayer.
From Wikipedia
He was born as Mark Doyle in Melbourne. He changed his name to Louis Nowra in the early 1970s. He studied at Melbourne's La Trobe University without earning a degree. In his memoir, The Twelfth of Never, Nowra claimed that he left the course due to a conflict with his professor on Patrick White's The Tree of Man. He worked in several jobs and lived an itinerant lifestyle until the mid-1970s when his plays began to attract attention.
His radio plays include Albert Names Edward, The Song Room, The Widows and the five part The Divine Hammer aired on the ABC in 2003.[2]
In March 2007, Nowra published a controversial book on violence in Aboriginal communities, Bad Dreaming.
Nowra has been studied extensively in Veronica Kelly's work The Theatre of Louis Nowra.
He resides in Sydney with his wife, author Mandy Sayer.
From Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
October 25, 2015
Reading this play out loud in class was certainly interesting with all the swear words and inappropriate jokes Hahahaha
June 4, 2012
Most painful thing I had to read for the HSC
November 27, 2018
REVIEW TO COME.
May 14, 2022
i read this for school it really captures the mentally ill australian experience
my favourite line: "i need a fuck"
my favourite line: "i need a fuck"
October 30, 2023
I love exploring lesser-known books with intriguing stories, and I'm glad that this one was a delightful find! The patients from the mental institution bring natural humor to the play, not to mock their conditions but because their responses to various situations are genuinely charming in their own distinctive ways. The character development of every actor was impressive, making it both entertaining and meaningful.
I admire how this emphasizes the value of love and friendship over the chaos of war and politics. It's also intriguing to discover that Mozart supported the belief that only women were capable of infidelity, but this play proves otherwise.
I'm not sure if there's still a live performance of this play, but it would be a dream come true to watch it someday.There's a lot more to it to analyze, and I look forward to re-reading this for a better understanding of each character. I loved it so muchhhhh.
I admire how this emphasizes the value of love and friendship over the chaos of war and politics. It's also intriguing to discover that Mozart supported the belief that only women were capable of infidelity, but this play proves otherwise.
I'm not sure if there's still a live performance of this play, but it would be a dream come true to watch it someday.There's a lot more to it to analyze, and I look forward to re-reading this for a better understanding of each character. I loved it so muchhhhh.
June 3, 2024
It’s whatever…it was for English
June 24, 2025
Really great storytelling. Loved it.
August 13, 2013
What a great play to be set as a Year 12 VCE text- playing psychoanalyst to these dysfunctional thespians and their love/lack of love is an enjoyable discussion to say the least.
July 4, 2017
Funnier than expected but took re-reading it outside a school setting to fully appreciate how good it is.
February 17, 2020
Gives insight into reality vs. insanity.
May 27, 2024
3.9 stars
I liked this. It has that Australian blue melancholy vibe. Very interesting cast of characters (ofc given it's mostly a mad house), but I feel like the amount of them made it feel a kinda overly packed??
Definitely one to see on stage, I think it would make for a great show. I also have not seen the film, so might dip into that.
The one bit I'm really unsure about is the epilogue that Lewis gives at the end. The layered bluff of a theatre show in a theatre with a stage set as a theatre about people putting on a theatre show--but then stripped away in that breaking of the fourth wall. Obviously very intentional, but I feel like it makes it hard for us to just be allowed to sit with the characters, and especially Lewis when he does this post show exposition. Like even without all the extra story, it leaves us with some heavy implications for the characters as is.
Anyway, I do think this was intentional, and I am keen to study the text a bit more and form my options further.
Plus, I have some short scenes to do from this which should be fun.
I liked this. It has that Australian blue melancholy vibe. Very interesting cast of characters (ofc given it's mostly a mad house), but I feel like the amount of them made it feel a kinda overly packed??
Definitely one to see on stage, I think it would make for a great show. I also have not seen the film, so might dip into that.
The one bit I'm really unsure about is the epilogue that Lewis gives at the end. The layered bluff of a theatre show in a theatre with a stage set as a theatre about people putting on a theatre show--but then stripped away in that breaking of the fourth wall. Obviously very intentional, but I feel like it makes it hard for us to just be allowed to sit with the characters, and especially Lewis when he does this post show exposition. Like even without all the extra story, it leaves us with some heavy implications for the characters as is.
Anyway, I do think this was intentional, and I am keen to study the text a bit more and form my options further.
Plus, I have some short scenes to do from this which should be fun.
June 28, 2024
Show the perspective of the 70s in Australia with the theme of mental illnesses and how the author used his real life experiences to write this play. My thoughts are also more in depth because I studied it but there is a lot of things that some may not notice. First is that Louis (the author) named Lewis (the character) after himself to show his connection and that this story is based on his life, and could also mean that Louis wrote Lewis to be like him and act like him. Second all of the characters are flawed with the chance to redeem themselves but because of the time and the conditions the characters are in some don’t redeem themselves, which when you break this down and talk about the key ideas of the play you know that some of the characters want to change and some of them do, but the ones who don’t either try and fail or know how to change but just don’t for their own reasons.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2024
Book I read for drama class. Favourite character was Roy. He was such an annoying pain in the ass but so fun to read about because I didn’t feel much of an emotional connection to any of the characters he was annoying.
Lewis was weird. Don’t get why he started kissing all the women. So much for not being into free love.
Lewis was weird. Don’t get why he started kissing all the women. So much for not being into free love.
February 3, 2019
Recommended read to anyone in love with Australian novels, theatre and exposing misconceptions.
An eye-opening dive into a 1970’s Australian institution for the “clinically ill” attempting to execute one of Mozart’s most beautiful works.
Funny and thought provoking as to what is “normal”?
An eye-opening dive into a 1970’s Australian institution for the “clinically ill” attempting to execute one of Mozart’s most beautiful works.
Funny and thought provoking as to what is “normal”?
August 12, 2017
Not quite a 4, but more than 3. I was in a production of it as Lewis.
July 20, 2019
A well loved Aussie play that warms the heart and scratches the head.
May 29, 2020
I enjoyed this so much... UNTIL THE LAST PARAGRAPH... WHAT!
I mean I still loved that part so...
read this
it's quick and beautiful, witty and thought-provoking <3
I mean I still loved that part so...
read this
it's quick and beautiful, witty and thought-provoking <3
January 2, 2022
Reading plays is always a bit weird, but to be honest this one was very easy to follow and worked quite well as a book - if not better, having looked up a few recordings of bits of it afterwards!
January 19, 2023
my head is fuzzy
October 1, 2023
absolutely amazing, loved it
December 10, 2023
nothing says peak highschool english like waiting for the quiet, never-say-a-curse girl to read the lines with FUCK in them when it's her turn (she didn't say it 😔)
January 26, 2024
not a book I would usually read (genre wise) but is pretty interesting and I would recommend it to those up for something different!
June 18, 2024
A great play. Great Characters to develop
Read
September 4, 2024Generally funny!! Studied this novel for English.
March 13, 2025
So basically everyone just kisses and sleeps with each other and it’s fine.
(Put some respect on Mozart’s name.)
Also why the hell are there bare feet on my cover?? Sigh, who allowed this?
(Put some respect on Mozart’s name.)
Also why the hell are there bare feet on my cover?? Sigh, who allowed this?
September 5, 2013
My drama class studied and performed this for our senior production this year and as with most prescribed literature or plays forced upon- that aren't Shakespeare, mostly- I didn't like it to begin with. I initially looked at it with a stark realism, and saw only raving mad people and a couple of political kooks. But Cosi is not only (and perhaps not even) presenting the perception of madness, but more rather questioning it, the impact of an ostracised society and the morals of love and life. It's as wonderfully enchanting as it is inquisitive.
The opera from which it is titled features in the production as both an outlet for escape and enlightenment, and a parallel. Cosi explores the mannerisms of human relationships and creates a story that examines the futility of institutionalism and the power of theatre. I loved how the characters got so excited over their performance (feelings that paralleled mine as I walked on stage) and what stepping out of their own skin and confined existence meant to them. It was a great interest and happiness of mine that each line of dialogue served as both a funny and characteristically insightful jibe, and also a question on fidelity, sanity or the nature of war; its practicality, use and need for condemnation.
The developments of the characters as they prepare for the final performance showed the effects of patients eschewed by society and the categorisation of “normal” and “insane”. Regularly in the play, I was aware of the perception and wisdom shown by the mental patients that often the “normal” characters lack- an understanding particularly shown through the patients’ emphasis on the relevance of love and fidelity, topical in Mozart’s libretto.
The miserable image of the theatre is what opens the play, and the first impression that Lewis gains as he enters the world of the institution. The theatre is representative of the state of mind of the patients, and also the environment in which they are confined, which I think is a wonderful device- an an incredible juxtaposition when the crew starts rehearsing the colourful and vivacious COSI FAN TUTTE on the burnt and dilapidated stage.
I was deceived by the apparent insanity of the patients in the asylum, and initially saw the actions of each character as random and each sentence formed by arbitrary thoughts encouraged by the treatment and exclusion that the asylum provides. However, Cosi is much more than an examination of the effects of institutionalisation. Louis Nowra has wondefully and talented wrought complex thoughts and expressions into a curious, heart-warming, thought provoking and hilarious play. Well done; four stars! (four because of the amount of times I had to read it.. over...and over...and over.. and over) I could quote the whole thing right now, if you asked!!
The opera from which it is titled features in the production as both an outlet for escape and enlightenment, and a parallel. Cosi explores the mannerisms of human relationships and creates a story that examines the futility of institutionalism and the power of theatre. I loved how the characters got so excited over their performance (feelings that paralleled mine as I walked on stage) and what stepping out of their own skin and confined existence meant to them. It was a great interest and happiness of mine that each line of dialogue served as both a funny and characteristically insightful jibe, and also a question on fidelity, sanity or the nature of war; its practicality, use and need for condemnation.
The developments of the characters as they prepare for the final performance showed the effects of patients eschewed by society and the categorisation of “normal” and “insane”. Regularly in the play, I was aware of the perception and wisdom shown by the mental patients that often the “normal” characters lack- an understanding particularly shown through the patients’ emphasis on the relevance of love and fidelity, topical in Mozart’s libretto.
The miserable image of the theatre is what opens the play, and the first impression that Lewis gains as he enters the world of the institution. The theatre is representative of the state of mind of the patients, and also the environment in which they are confined, which I think is a wonderful device- an an incredible juxtaposition when the crew starts rehearsing the colourful and vivacious COSI FAN TUTTE on the burnt and dilapidated stage.
I was deceived by the apparent insanity of the patients in the asylum, and initially saw the actions of each character as random and each sentence formed by arbitrary thoughts encouraged by the treatment and exclusion that the asylum provides. However, Cosi is much more than an examination of the effects of institutionalisation. Louis Nowra has wondefully and talented wrought complex thoughts and expressions into a curious, heart-warming, thought provoking and hilarious play. Well done; four stars! (four because of the amount of times I had to read it.. over...and over...and over.. and over) I could quote the whole thing right now, if you asked!!
December 27, 2014
This was fun. Set amidst the 70's backdrop of free love, Lewis, a recent university graduate, becomes the director for a mental institution's play - Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, an opera about love and infidelity. Only no one can sing, few can act, and Lewis is hardly equipped to deal with the various patients' quirks.
There isn't much room to give the character's a lot depth, but I think the play did an okay job with its portrayal of the characters from the mental institution. They weren't demonised, nor were their problems glossed over. Everyone aside from probably Doug the pyromaniac were humanised to some extent. I'm not sure whether the line of black humour crosses into bad taste with Doug. He's committed for setting fire to his mother's cats, and throughout the play characters dismiss his obnoxious remarks with "go burn a cat". This eventually includes Lewis, and acts as one of the marks of his growing familiarity and involvement with the rag tag group of mental patients. It struck me as a bit weird, though. Am I being clouded by my love of cats? I think Doug is just a badly dated character in general, with his oh so humorous questioning about Lewis possibly being gay and all that.
The little love subplot seemed kind of thrown in there. The links to the love plot in Cosi Fan Tutte are apparent but it would have had more oomph if they'd gone into more detail about the hypocrisy involved in the real-life love drama. There's quite a few lines about the double standards between men and women when it comes to love and infidelity, but it didn't seem like Lewis really came to grips with that. The class aspect of the story was more interesting to me. I loved the way certain patients fixated on Lewis being university educated. It was appropriate, especially for Roy. Oh my god, Roy. He was definitely the highlight of the entire play.
Overall, it was a funny and light-hearted, if a bit forgettable. The ending was pretty jarring when it explains the fates of the mental patients. It's realistic for the most part, but still, talk about mood whiplash. .
At any rate, I'd totally go see the play if the opportunity ever came up. The characters come to life so easily on paper that you can sense how good it'd be to see them played out on stage.
Apparently it's also studied in highschool, going by the grumpy reviews on goodreads. Suckers! I got to study Macbeth! But I like to think I would also have liked Cosi.
There isn't much room to give the character's a lot depth, but I think the play did an okay job with its portrayal of the characters from the mental institution. They weren't demonised, nor were their problems glossed over. Everyone aside from probably Doug the pyromaniac were humanised to some extent. I'm not sure whether the line of black humour crosses into bad taste with Doug. He's committed for setting fire to his mother's cats, and throughout the play characters dismiss his obnoxious remarks with "go burn a cat". This eventually includes Lewis, and acts as one of the marks of his growing familiarity and involvement with the rag tag group of mental patients. It struck me as a bit weird, though. Am I being clouded by my love of cats? I think Doug is just a badly dated character in general, with his oh so humorous questioning about Lewis possibly being gay and all that.
The little love subplot seemed kind of thrown in there. The links to the love plot in Cosi Fan Tutte are apparent but it would have had more oomph if they'd gone into more detail about the hypocrisy involved in the real-life love drama. There's quite a few lines about the double standards between men and women when it comes to love and infidelity, but it didn't seem like Lewis really came to grips with that. The class aspect of the story was more interesting to me. I loved the way certain patients fixated on Lewis being university educated. It was appropriate, especially for Roy. Oh my god, Roy. He was definitely the highlight of the entire play.
Overall, it was a funny and light-hearted, if a bit forgettable. The ending was pretty jarring when it explains the fates of the mental patients. It's realistic for the most part, but still, talk about mood whiplash. .
At any rate, I'd totally go see the play if the opportunity ever came up. The characters come to life so easily on paper that you can sense how good it'd be to see them played out on stage.
Apparently it's also studied in highschool, going by the grumpy reviews on goodreads. Suckers! I got to study Macbeth! But I like to think I would also have liked Cosi.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews