With all the sex, sadism, deceit, revenge, and messengers from Hell, it’s easy to forget that Don Giovanni was intended for a younger audience. Obviously, all the kids these days are committing sins and seem to forget if they continue their devious acts they will face dire consequences. In this particular situation, you will be taken to the depths of Hell where you live an eternity being tortured at the hands of the Devil. Despite the evil message, from what I heard from most of my fellow students, except for Ashley of course, the creator’s efforts to make Don Giovanni appealing to a younger audience were unsuccessful.
Having seen operas in the past, I have discovered that one either loves the opera or hates it. Unfortunately, I am not an opera lover. I’m not very fond of the fact that I usually need binoculars just to see the performance, need subtitles to understand the dialogue, and that all the refreshments are overpriced. The only positive note was that bathrooms had toilets that you could flush with a pedal–pure genius. But more importantly, these factors put in the position to perceive the show with a negative attitude that did not fair well in the overall criticism of the performance.
The plot of Don Giovanni was actually quite interesting, but the seemingly endless duration of the performance made it difficult enjoy. Surprisingly, I was one of the few students to not fall asleep or die of boredom during the show. The misadventures of Don Giovanni and his servant Leporello made a great story, but the necessity to repeat every line a hundred times due the structure of the opera made the performance much longer than it needed to be. Honestly, if Don Giovanni was done as a play instead of an opera and was cut down my about two hours, it would have been a much more enjoyable experience for everyone.
Despite my hatred for the opera, the singers and the orchestra blew my mind. Although the constant singing got on my nerves, I was highly impressed by the performers’ ability to sing at such volume as to make themselves audible throughout a theater the size of a baseball stadium without a microphone! Also the music, written by the famous Mozart, underscoring Don Giovanni was phenomenal. The orchestra was always able to capture the intensity of each scene placing the audience in the perfect mood at every moment. Yet this doesn’t make Don Giovanni distinct. Every opera I attended in the past had performers that could sing exceptionally loud and orchestras that could capture the mood at every moment so it isn’t all that special.
Although Don Giovanni was hard to watch, I found the set and costume design very interesting. Moving the same set in and out and arranging it in a different fashion as if it was a different part of the city in every scene was very clever. Also the transitions from scene to scene were smoothly done as the walls opened to a courtyard, house, or cemetery as if you were walking through an alley or doorway. Not to mention that the fire effects were probably the most memorable part of the performance as Don Giovanni was pulled into the depths of Hell. In addition to the amazing set, the costumes—or at least what I could see from the nose-bleeders—were very authentic. Even though I never lived in 18th Century Italy, the class of each character could have been easily figured out just by looking at their costumes. Instantly, I could tell the Leporello was a servant, Don Giovanni was very wealthy, etc. The Commendatore, Don Pedro, also had a very creative costume when he returned from dead as a ghost to warn Don Giovanni about the consequences of his actions. Personally, I thought the set and costumes were the highlight of the show, which isn’t saying much.
Looking back on my opera experience, I feel that the opera represents New York City in the sense that you either love it or hate it. New York City it could either be unbearable, or the city of your dreams. Contrary to the opera, I love New York City—especially after spending the weekend in Philadelphia. Also, the life of Don Giovanni reveals, similar to New York City, that living the dream life is fragile and can transform instantly into your worst nightmare. New York City is a tough city to live in and if one isn’t careful, it could be your worst nightmare.
