We went to see The Forgotten Opera's production of Don Giovanni last night at, of all places, the Alexandria Masonic Hall. TFO is a small local company made up of singers about town who have put together several food length, staged operas, with small music ensembles (in this case a 5 piece orchestra cum conductor). Scenery is minimal, but it shows that you can put on an opera, with a very small budget, quite successfully, if you don't expect Met quality.
The updating was interesting. Don Giovanni is a womanizing senator who would like to be president. Elvira is his old girl friend who took the fall for him when he hit and killed a young woman in an auto accident, and has been in jail 8 years. The opening scene is the retirement party of Justice Callahan, whose daughter is attacked by the Senator in the mask, after which Giovanni murders Callahan by accident. It is Callahan who comes back at the end to haunt Giovanni and carry his soul to hell. Leporello is Leporello. Zerlina is the new wife (and former intern) of Representative Brady, who carries on with the Senator, either for her own, or perhaps for her husband's, eventual gain.
They hammed it up and handled it like a farce. The company did its own, very witty translation (which I would like to see in print). They kept their clothes on, but through their translation and some of the handprops, played this seduction opera with the R rating it deserves.
All in all, good fun. To bad it is only being performed twice, and that more people won't have an opportunity to see it.
Arthurthinks readers know that we saw Don Giovanni in Prague, its original home, this summer. A more polished and more lavish performance, to be sure. But The Forgotten Opera was much more fun.
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