Rob Garner
commands the role of the rake, even doing a respectable turn at a sword fight. (Here he is with another Taci superstar, Brad Cresswell.) Garner’s sonorous Deh vieni all finestra, o mio
tesoro had tenderness and soul. His descent into hell was thrillingly hammy.
It’s only a measure of my respect
for this handsome baritone that I felt some distress when he removed his tricorn hat and his curly, pony-tailed
wig seemed momentarily flattened down. Don Giovanni would be nothing without
his right hand man, Leporello. Tenor Frederic Rice was extraordinary as Leporello,
squeezing every comic possibility from the role. He was somewhat
apologetic, rather than boastful, as he sang Madamina, il catalogo è questo.
The don’s women are either
paid supplicants back at his palace or noblewomen and peasants alike who are understandably angry at his behavior. Victoria Wefer, Iris Karlin, and Sarah
Moulton Faux were full-throttle as Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, and
Zerlina. The Amore production suggests that the clown Leporello gets together in the end with
one of Giovanni’s exes, the sadly pregnant young Donna Elvira, offering a happy future at least
for these two.
If any stage production
in New York City deserved a standing ovation that day it was this engrossing, faithful, and fleet production
by Nathan Hull. But most of the sold-out audience was too old to jump to
their feet. That’s the thing about opera. Amore Opera tries to expand the audience by offering witty productions
with a revolving cast, well-matched subtitles, and charming sets. It goes without saying that tickets cost a fraction of what
they do at the Met. Amore is looking for a new home, unfortunately losing the
gemlike Connelly theatre in the East Village. Hurry to see them there.
