Last weekend, from April 17-20, the DU community was whisked away to the sights and sounds of 18th-century Italy and into the life of nobleman Don Giovanni, the notoriously lascivious and promiscuous eponymic character in Mozart’s opera, “Don Giovanni.”
The opera, one of the most performed in the world, was performed by two casts of DU students; this review covers the Thursday and Saturday cast.
The story follows Don Giovanni, played by Michael Hewitt, as he and his manservant Leporello, played by Griffen Hogan Tracy, traipse around a city pursuing women and trying to evade the husbands and men that Don Giovanni has offended with his romantic indiscretions. The opera is animated by one overarching conflict: Don Giovanni murdered Donna Anna’s, played by Erin Clark, father, played by Tim Sirinunthikul, after a failed attempt to seduce her; this decision later comes back to haunt him in a ghastly way.
The three-hour show, directed by Kenneth Cox and conducted by Lawrence Golan, was filled with comedy, melodrama, exceptional sets and costumes and universal themes that have stayed current since the opera’s debut in 1787, namely the consequences of decisions, love and the masks we all wear at times to hide our true selves.
Zerlina, played by Camille Jasensky, and Don Giovanni’s duet following the latter’s wedding was a scene of particular genius. The emotional lyrics inform the audience (via a translated projector) that Zerlina, recently married, is reluctant to elope with the new seducer, Don Giovanni; he convinces her to let go and to embrace her wild side. The scene was phenomenally acted by Hewitt and Jasensky. Hewitt embraced Jasensky in a way that made both her and the audience shudder with anticipation. Their motions and the lyrics evoked a true sensation of romance—or was it just lust? Either way, these were clearly talented performers doing something very well about which they cared.
Hogan Tracy’s portrayal of the subservient yet critical Leporello was both well sung and magnificently acted. The role requires immense talent as both a comic and dramatic actor, and Hogan Tracy played the role well. One memorable scene occurs when Leporello explains to Elvira just how many women Don Giovanni has slept with—over 1003 in Spain, 640 in Italy, 231 in Germany, 100 in France and 91 in Turkey. This comical scene was exaggerated by a massive catalog of names written out by Leporello in a tome; the pages were so numerous that they stretched across the stage.
Although students and modern folk in general may be bored by a three-hour performance sung completely in Italian, patrons of culture and the arts undoubtedly connected with the intensely romantic, sensual scenes of love and lust displayed by the cast and animated by the great work of the musicians in the pit. The lyrics of the opera, written by librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, reflect contemporary, universal themes that span culture and centuries.
