Opera at USC stages Mozart play this weekend
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni” is one of his greatest, as well as one of his darkest.
Mozart switched gears from light romantic comedic operas, such as “Cosi Fan Tutte” and “The Marriage of Figaro,” to explore love, hate, deceit and the supernatural in “Don Giovanni.”
This weekend, Opera at USC takes on this great work, providing a classical interpretation with some unique twists.
The title character, Don Giovanni, is the epitome of a ladies’ man. His conquests are so numerous his manservant has to keep track of all the women Giovanni has seduced using a diary.
He spends the majority of the opera running from one woman to the next, all while trying to avoid their unhappy fiances. Like all silver-tongued seducers, Don Giovanni spins a delicate web of deception, playing one girl against the other until they wise up and decide to join together and put Don Giovanni back in his place.
The women in Mozart’s opera are the heart of the piece, standing up for each other in defense of love and justice. Samantha Nahra, a second-year graduate student in opera theater, pointed out that “Don Giovanni” can be considered a “feminist opera” because of the strong female characters who face off against Don Giovanni. The women do not sit idly by in the face of Don Giovanni’s treachery.
“There’s a lot of action in this opera,” said Nahra, whose role as Donna Anna in the production is her biggest to date.
While the plot and characters offer plenty to keep the audience and the singers occupied, Mozart’s score is just as captivating. Both the orchestra and the singers are challenged musically. Molly Sgrecci, a second-year music student, plays violin in the opera orchestra and said that performing “Don Giovanni” is difficult but worthwhile. As an instrumentalist, Sgrecci said, “It’s fun to work with singers because I don’t usually get to do that in orchestra.”
Jared Ice, who plays the role of Don Giovanni, provides a solid and interesting interpretation of the character throughout the play. He does a great job of making a despicable character likeable and creates continuity throughout the opera.
The cast and crew of Opera at USC do an admirable job of paying attention to details and creating an atmosphere for “Don Giovanni.” The set, impressively designed by Colleen Ballance, gives a sense of depth and proportion to the stage and the action during the opera. “Don Giovanni” marks one of the first times Opera at USC has used a “raked” stage. Instead of a two-dimensional set, the raked stage is actually sloped down to the front of the stage.
The curtain rises for “Don Giovanni” tonight at 7:30 p.m. In honor of the first performance of Opera at USC’s season, there will also be an opening-night gala catered by the Gourmet Shop after the show.
There will be performances tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students, $15 for faculty and $20 for adults.