Don Giovanni, Opera Up Close, Soho Theatre

City-boy updating of Mozart's daterape classic mostly works, but lacks goosebumps

by Ash SmythFriday, 26 August 2011

'Robin Norton-Hale’s 'Don Giovanni' is a thorough re-wiring of the Mozart/Da Ponte original'

When you go to a trendy London performance "space" to watch an opera about rape and murder you should probably expect a few shocks. Or, if this ain’t your first Don Giovanni, you should expect not to be surprised by whatever provocations the director may have in store – which is much the same. What you probably don’t expect is for the overture to be played electronically and/or sound like it’s been remixed by Thom Yorke. But in Robin Norton-Hale’s "new version", that’s what you get – and plenty more besides. And you know what? It really works. It does. Mostly.

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