Don Giovanni

Loyal readers will know how important culture is to this blog. In keeping with that tradition, I invited friend-of-the-show JAW Fan to submit his comments on the local production of big bad Don Giovanni currently on at Place des Arts.

Take it away JAW...

"The opening décor which had a somewhat Vincent-Price-movie-kind-of-look was quite nice. Slowly it was pulled away to reveal a type of industrial scaffolding. Costumes were not of the original period, but not particularly modern. Some nice lighting effects and atmosphere in the second half, which helped create a dark ambiance.

There were a couple of goofy thugs on stage(who stole chicken legs off Don Giovanni's plate, at one point) who needed to go. Singing was what you expect from a decent Montreal production, ok but not great since we haven't got the money to pay the really good people.

Now my complaints, the woman behind me with the plastic bag who kept playing with it and making crinkly noises, the woman behind me who was opening her candy during my favorite aria from the opera (needless to say, I turned my head and gave her a glaring look...I don't think she ever dared to eat her candy afterwards), the eleven year-old girl who kept sprawling out restlessly in the chair in front of me (at least she was quiet), and last-but-always-my-biggie the incessant coughing (Cold season is over...and if you do have a cough, have you never heard of Buckley's) And worse than the coughing, all the throat clearing...why are you clearing your throat atthe opera? It's not like you're talking (which naturally some people were doing!!!! They think if they whisper, no one will hear them. It's an opera,not a Black Sabbath concert...at least this time, however, no one sang along.

I might have to go back to boycotting live opera and focus on opera DVDs instead."