Cosi_Lewis_Transitions

“Working with these people has changed you”. Whilst Lewis undergoes a significant transformation within the play “cosi”, he is not the only character to benefit from the experience. Discuss Set in a time where free love is at its peak and raging opinions on war flood the media, Cosi follows the journey of a University student, Lewis, whose perception of the world, along with his morals, has been guided by minds of the mentally ill. Placed into an environment where manic personalities are at large, Lewis the young director has taken up a challenge of directing a group of ill minded individuals to perform the opera Cosi fan tutte, a challenge which in time benefits the patients along with Lewis himself. Starting in a “burnt out” theatre, Cosi is first symbolic of a range of expectations that are to be subverted during the play, along with the perceptions and beliefs that are to be changed. The situation is hopeless to begin with. This setting also reflects the broader social and political setting of the play where society is "burnt out" from the Vietnam War and creates our expectation that what Lewis is undertaking is both foolish and doomed to failure, “Is this where we're performing'” As the journey of the characters progress through their performance in the opera, it becomes apparent that the connections formed with Lewis have had a positive effect on the social skills and confidence in many of the patients in Cosi. He is first a student espousing the views of his peers and of his times about the sexual revolution and the Vietnam War, but comes to reject these as the patients - Roy, Julie, Cherry develop his perspectives Placing himself in a situation where expectations are slim, Lewis first begins his challenge hesitant of what exactly he will be faced with while also remaining vulnerable to anti-social personalities of the patients in the asylum. Entering the burnt out theatre with a ‘chink’ of daylight, Lewis first introduces hope for the patients although the known fact is that Lewis’ motive for taking on this challenge is of mercenary nature, “I need the money, Lucy”. Frightened and lacking assertiveness, Lewis finds he is unable to control the erratic behaviors of the patients, with one of the patients, Roy, ironically being seen as bossing Lewis around. Roy determines what is being performed, Cosi fan tutte, and Lewis questions, “Do you think we should be doing something like this' ... In these days, you know, the Vietnam war'” He asks this due to his predisposed views on society, views that are later altered by the demeanour of the patients. Primarily insecure and inexperienced, Lewis is seen to evolve into an individual as preparation for the opera continues. Observations of Lewis show he develops the ability to takes control as he learns more and more about how the patient’s minds work and what exactly brings them to compromise. The first turning point in Lewis attitude occurs when he assertively yells, “Roy!”Not only had he shocked all of the patients but also himself. He also changes in positive way in relation to the kindness brought to both Henry and Roy during times of distress. Unlike previous characteristics of Lewis, he has now formed a sense direction with the patients. Along with shift in his tolerance of bad behaviours of the patients, so too does his attitude change in regard to the operas theme of love & fidelity. First believing ‘Love is not so important nowadays.....’ Lewis is forced to question his morals and identify what exactly his relationship with Lucy is made up of. Lewis’ development of a less naive perspective on love and fidelity ties up closely to his changing perspective on the war in Vietnam. In contrast to the begging of his journey, Lewis is a changed man. Through his experience in the asylum and the relationships made he has been able to benefit by creating well formed opinions on worldly issues and while developing his morals and beliefs. No longer was his motive mercenary, but now Lewis had built an altruistic base on completing the challenge of putting on the opera. Once insecure and selfish, Lewis is now a man who listens to the troubled patients with empathy. Lewis’ transformation is also seen in his ability to control the patients, first afraid of the unpredictable behaviors of patient Doug, but now able to contest him. Lewis assertively says, “Doug will you stop talking like that”. The authority had shifted out of the patients hands into Lewis’. He has been able to help the patients in a way no one else could, he brought them, “right out of their shells, they blossomed, blossomed”. Louis Nowra introduces Roy as a manic theatre fanatic and lover of opera, a patient to benefit from this new experience. Challenged mentally, Roy appears ecstatic at the prospect of putting on the opera Cosi, his “dream”, and most of the time very difficult for Lewis to control. He is always in search for attention and has been able to benefit from this new experience through finally being part of a group; something Roy has continual trouble in doing. Roy’s fictional tale about how his “mother played the music to me over and over” is continually retold throughout Cosi, but uncovered when suffering from stage fright. “I can’t…go on and make a fool of myself…everyone will be staring at me.” Besides the fact of Roy living in a constant illusion, he is able to gain acceptance from Lewis and with his “aim for the stars”, is able to overcome all dissension within the production. Although partly benefitting from putting on the opera, Roy ultimately doesn’t take on any major change. He is still the same character as the Roy in the beginning of Cosi and still manages to brutally attack Lewis’ ways in the final scene of the play. Committed to the asylum by her parents for her drug addiction, Julie is a patient who appears to be the most ‘normal’. Julie has benefited from the performance in a way similar to other patients by using it as an escape from the harsh realities of the asylum. She is drawn to the production because it helps to alleviate the boredom she experiences in the ward. “Cosi gave me something to think about, something to do.” She enjoys the experience. Julie also has a self awareness that some of the other patients are unable to demonstrate. “I’m a naturally addictive personality.” The epilogue revealing Julies death is rather harsh but predicted, “she had died of an overdose”, and is a reminder to the audience that despite the continuous joy of the operatic experience for some of the characters, ultimately ‘success’ is not necessarily guaranteed. While showing the progressive conflicts and changing social values of the world external to the walls of the asylum, Cosi has also been able to allude to the changing nature of the patients who have taken part in the production of ‘Cosi fan tutte’. Lewis has shown that with determination and an altruistic attitude, anything is possible even when all was doomed to fail in the beginning.