As February approaches, a rom-com opera is set to go on stage, armed with charm and humor.

A local production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Cosi fan Tutte” will be staged at the Sejong Center for Performing Arts on Feb. 11-12, just in time for Valentine’s Day, starring the country’s young, up-and-coming opera singers.

Composed by Mozart at the height of his fame and first performed in 1790, “Cosi fan Tutte” is a tale of two young soldiers who are goaded by a gentleman into a wager regarding their fiancees’ faithfulness. The two men are convinced their lovers are true to them, so they agree to test their fidelity. They disguise themselves and attempt to seduce one another’s lady loves.

The title literally means “Thus do they all” and is popularly used to mean “Women are like that.”

“Cosi fan Tutte” originally takes place in Naples, Italy, during the late 18th century. It was written in Italian, but the upcoming production by the Royal Academy of Music’s Korea Center is translated into Korean and set in New York in the 1950s.

“It is a modern-version production which has many elements that those who have never seen an opera before can easily enjoy,” the organizers said in a press release.

The cast includes sopranos Chung Kot-nim, Park Myeong-sook, Shin Jae-ehun, mezzo soprano Han Seung-hee, tenors Simon Kang, Kang Hoon and baritones Noh Dae-san and Lim Hee-sung ― many of whom studied at the Royal Academy of Music in the U.K. or the Juilliard School in the U.S.

After the show, the performers will give out chocolate to the audience, setting the mood for Valentine’s Day.

The Korea Herald is one of several sponsors of the production.

Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 150,000 won, with a 20 percent discount offered for students.

For more information, call (02) 532-1725.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heralcorp.com)