We've finally gotten to Mozart's Don Giovanni in music class this week, and the professor's been showing clips of the songs from different productions. It's interesting to see the different interpretations out there and how each actor embodies his or her role differently. I really like watching each production's take on the opera because the characters may look or dress differently, and though they're singing the same songs they may add their own personal twist as well.
But what happens when this idea of 'updating the old' enters Mozart's sphere? Yesterday the professor showed one production where Don Giovanni was set up in the present day, and honestly the costumes and props made me feel like I was watching a bad '80s movie. Don Giovanni was in a leather jacket and Donna Elvira had bright red lipstick and pink leopard-printed tights. In the party scene, Don Giovanni stripped down to wear only his boxers and was doing some odd dance with Zerlina, who as a peasant was wearing dowdy clothes that looked like they were taken from the thrift store.
Entertaining? Yes. Preferable? NO!
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