SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Connecticut
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
Writing for Us
A CurtainUp 
London Review
London ReviewDon Giovanni
|
To be faithful to one girl would be cruel to the others. — Don Giovanni
|
Iain Paterson as Don Giovanni and Sarah Tynam as Zerlina (Photo: Donald Cooper) |
There are three women: Donna Anna (Katherine Broderick) a young noblewoman violated by Don Giovanni (Iain Paterson) in disguise whose father, the Commendatore (Matthew Best) is killed by him after the father challenges his daughter's attacker to a duel. Donna Elvira (Sarah Redgwick standing in for the indisposed Rebecca Evans) is the woman wronged by Don Giovanni, who is still drawn to him and who believes he could be reformed if only he were to repent. Zerlina (Sarah Tynan) is the spirited peasant girl who Don Giovanni takes a fancy to on her wedding day to Masetto (John Molloy), hoping to use a version of the "droit de seigneur" - his power and position to claim to the bride before the groom.
Giovanni's servant Leporello (the popular Brindley Sherratt) gives us many insights into the promiscuity of his master in his mischievous numbers. "Dark and fair girls, Swedish au pair girls" start the slide show of completely indiscriminating conquests "If they're fatter, does it matter?". A spreadsheet is used by Leporello to convey the vast numbers of conquests with histograms showing the numbers of women for every month. In Act Two, Giovanni sings his own love song to slides of images of his perfect woman. The point being that he hasn't found her yet, providing a psychological clue as to the motivation and inherent never ending quest and appetite of the sex addict.
The staging has a pair of curious aerial, curved wire structures which generate electrical charges for all the sexual energy being generated here and which eventually lower to guide Don Giovanni down into hell with fireworks. Giant and numerous projected red demons join those on stage to good effect but the whole descent into damnation is not really terrifying. Three asymmetrical walls spin onstage at moments of great commotion, providing a good background for lighting shadows and giving the players different levels to play on and stairs to run up, windows to sit on or look through.
During the deception scene, Don Giovanni's five pursuers are transfixed in different trance dances, Donna Anna's takes the form of an Irish Riverdance, frantic feet and hands by her side and Zerlina's is altogether coarser as if she is dying to have a pee, while Donna Anna's fiancé Ottavio (Robert Murray) performs an unsexy striptease. Ever present demons with devil masks but wearing images of Jesus with a bright red background had me puzzled.
The music, with young Ukranian born Kirill Karabits conducting, is lovely and I thought there was some outstanding singing. Sarah Redgwick was excellent as Elvira and the trio sung by Anna , Elvira and Ottavio at the end of Act One where they unmask and denounce Giovanni for his crimes is divine. Katharine Broderick has a lovely voice and her acting performance as Anna will develop in confidence. Iain Paterson had the best hand of the night for his energetic and beautifully sung performance. I normally miss the Italian but Jeremy Sams' libretto is so irreverent and enjoyable.
The director has some witty touches with helium filled, heart shaped balloons bobbing up from the set, courting couples dancing onstage. His production is not only easy to follow but full of lighter moments.
|
Subscribe to our FREE email updates with a note from editor Elyse Sommer about additions to the website -- with main page hot links to the latest features posted at our numerous locations. To subscribe,
E-mail: esommer@curtainup.comesommer@curtainup.com
put SUBSCRIBE CURTAINUP EMAIL UPDATE in the subject line and your full name and email address in the body of the message -- if you can spare a minute, tell us how you came to CurtainUp and from what part of the country. |
| Don Giovanni
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte English translation by Jeremy Sams Directed by Rufus Norris Starring: Iain Paterson, Matthew Best, Katherine Broderick, Robert Murray, Rebecca Evans, Brindley Sherratt, John Molloy, Sarah Tynan With: Gareth Charlton, Rain de Rye Barrett, Nathan Dummett, Valentina Formenti, Myrto Grapsa, Gareth Green, Juana Maria Jiménez, Anthony Kurt-Gabel, Nick Lawson, Eftichia Panagropoulou, Katerina Toumpa, Patrice Turlet Conductor: Kirill Karabits Chorus Master: Martin Merry Leader: Janice Graham Costume Designer: Nicky Gillibrand Movement: Jonathan Lunn Projections Designer: Finn Ross Set Design: Ian McNeill Lighting: Mimi Jordan Sherin Sound: Ian Dickinson Running time: Three hours with one interval Box Office: 0871 911 0200 Booking in the repertoire to 3rd December 2010 Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge based on 6th November 2010 at the London coliseum, St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4ES (Tube: Charing Cross/Leicester Square) |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email . . . also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. |
|
London Theatre Tickets Lion King Tickets Billy Elliot Tickets Mighty Boosh Tickets Mamma Mia Tickets We Will Rock You Tickets Theatre Tickets |
