Don Giovanni is no dom, but a predator, taking advantage of the relaxed environment. Leporello, the tortured aide to Don Giovanni, is growing weary of aiding and abetting his narcissistic boss. Together, they enter a BDSM play party to find new diversions.

This is a highly dramatic production of love, deceit and betrayal and the cast perform their roles beautifully and being a new viewer to a fully staged opera, I was super impressed with the vocal stamina by all it takes to sing a show like this.  The opera is sung in Italian so the English subtitles clearly displayed were a big help and there was a lot going on!

To the cast, as the title role of Don Giovanni, Archie Rumsam is deliciously villainous and his dramatic operatic voice complimented it perfectly, his vocal control was impressive throughout.  I also really loved his facial expressions during the whole show, his evil eyes gave oomph to the role.

As the program states there were two singers cast as Leporello, I won’t use a name but the singer who was on at this performance was also very impressive.  A particular highlight was his ability to sustain control and intonation while on the floor and bending over.  His highly dramatic acting was another highlight for me.

Esther Counsel played the role of Elvira with extreme intensity and delivered her scenes with fiery angst as she witnessed the betrayal of Don Giovanni.  As her character intensified I loved the progression of her body language by the end.

In the role of Donna Anna, Phoebe Paine had a strong yet sweet voice and presence.  As the show progressed and her emotions became more frustrated, I loved the way she softened her voice yet kept the drama and intensity going.  

As Il Commendatore, Alison Lemon had a big, beefy voice and commanding presence that made the audience take notice during her short time on stage.

Maya Charles Sedergreen as Zerlina was one of my favourites.  I loved her sweet classical voice and her portrayal as she became more and more hurt by what was happening to her character.  The way she sang made me feel every word of her vulnerability and innocence.  

My favourite of all the cast was Leyland Jones as Masetto.  I couldn’t take my eyes off him when he was on stage, his face was highly expressive and intense throughout the whole show and his powerful bass voice was gut wrenching and powerful at the same time.  He never once broke character and you could see the intensity in his face when he was performing.

The show was rounded out by the hugely talented ensemble whose voices were all super strong and powerful.

A huge shoutout must also go to the Pianist Kevin Tamanini.  He played the whole show and the Mozart score is not easy.  His performance definitely helped create the drama.