The Don

About three things I'm absolutely positive.
1. I enjoy opera
2. I have crappy eyes
3. Washboard abs rock!
When you combine the three, you get our night at our last opera of the year, Don Giovanni, and when you consider that Teddy Tahu Rhodes and his knee high boots were reprising the role, you know it was going to be a good night. There was a measure of concern that given our luck with leading men that Teddy and his washboard abs wouldn't be there but that was laid to rest!

The story is of legendary lover (rapist?) Don Giovanni as he freewheels from girl to girl, accompanied by his increasingly disgusted servant Leporello, and pursued by various people wanting revenge against him - Donna Anna and her fiance Don Ottavio, spurned lover Donna Elvira, and peasants Zerlina whom he tried to seduce on her wedding day and her bridegroom Masetto , and the ghost of Donna Anna's father, the Commendatore. And then he gets dragged down to hell while everyone else sings the moral of the story. *cough*

When we got into the theatre, there was some confusion as we each found a little leather bag on our seats containing a pair of opera binoculars. We were sitting in the Circle - it wasn't as if we couldn't see what was going on...were they presents or did we have to return them at the end of the night? Confusion! But we all spent our time trying to focus them and finally found out why. This production opens with Don Giovanni escaping from Donna Anna's room dressed only in leather undies, knee high boots and a cape, and I tell you, every set of opera glasses were focusing on TTR's abs! (Below - looking a bit rougher than usual from Dead Man Walking)

Singing and acting-wise, all was fine. I always feel a bit sorry for Elvira - and she really gets the short stick here being tricked and manhandled - and Fiona James did a great job showing her wavering rage and despondence. I kept thinking it would be nice if she went off with the long-suffering Leporello (John Pringle) but I suppose it wouldn't do for a lady to marry a servant in those days. Tiffany Speight has the right flowing voice for Zerlina, nice and sweet especially when she induces Masetto to beat her as proof of her innocence...Laulita thought Masetto (Richard Anderson) was hot. However this was again the Teddy Tahu Rhodes show and he played the role with all the bastardy, narcissistic glory it requires. His performance really does show the Don's unrepentant depravity, especially in the dinner scene - and Kenny is now an unavowed fan of the way he just doesn't quit! (Yes! We've turned Kenny into an opera-lover!) A suggested change would be to lay off on all the make up though - TTR's much better looking without the black wig and fake Latin tan.

Don Giovanni is an enjoyable opera made all the better by the performances. Not as good as Figaro in my opinion, but with more shirtlessness here, I can see broader appeal to the less regular opera audience. Veruschka, I'm looking at you.
(Picture sources here and here)