by guest reviewer T.E. Klunzinger
Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” we are told, is to opera what “Fiddler of the Roof” is to community theater: both of them get done a lot. (And felicitously, this production of “Don Giovanni” dovetails with the present production of “Amadeus” at Riverwalk.)
That said, each production is necessarily different; and this production is a feast for the ears and eyes. The 25-piece MSU Symphony Orchestra conducted by Katherine Kilburn does excellent justice to Mozart’s score, including the frequent instrumental passages and one major dance.
As usual, the eight principal roles are double-cast to afford more performance opportunities (Wed/Sat, Fri/Sun); and the Wednesday cast enjoyed by this reviewer was in excellent form, as well as the 18-member, albeit briefly-seen chorus. The difficult, non-musical recitatives are done well.
Stage Director Melanie Helton has conjured up a deceptively simple three-level set featuring a large, beating heart and which turns out to be much more than it first seems, which is then complemented by the subdued, darkish hues of the lighting as well as the frequently-changing kaleidoscopic backdrop.
A conscious choice has been made to use modern dress including a few cloaks and capes, to the extent that at one point the chorus looks like they’re going on spring break.
Oh, and the story: the eponymous protagonist has scandalized most of Europe by sleeping with almost every woman he meets, much like the well-known Casanova of his day; who then, being spurned, want to hunt him down and kill him… if they can find him.
This sort of tale was as popular then as it is now, such than Mozart and his librettist Lorenzo da Ponte had multiple “hits” as Rodgers and Hammerstein did in the 20 Century (although somewhat bawdier).
Thus you should run, not walk, to Fairchild Auditorium at MSU to enjoy this present gem: Friday & Saturday at 7 pm, Sunday at 3 pm; it runs a little more than three hours. Tickets at:
https://www.music.msu.edu/event-listing?