The April 2007 production was Mozart's Don Giovanni, in English. NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY DAVID CROOK.
Reviews of this production included:
“Lust, sleaze, revenge, heartbreak; these are just some of the high-wire emotions entwined through Mozart's Don Giovanni. Combined with some of opera's most memorable tunes, the result is a production that's as relevant to our lives today as it was when it was written more than 200 years ago... For anyone new to opera, daunted by the high art of Covent Garden's Royal Opera House, judging by this show, Hampstead Garden Opera could prove an ideal introduction. It's neither high-budget nor slick as they come, but you couldn't really call this an amateur production, so professional were the performers. Special mention should be made of Fraser Grant's inventive and pacey direction, Sarah Blood for her indignantly fiesty Elvira, and the 12-piece Dionysus Ensemble's orchestral reduction led by Robin Newton. Eccentric costumes mixing opulent ballgown with neon futurist punk dispel any last notion of opera as stuffy. The full house that turned up to see this production certainly knew what they were in for.” - Camden New Journal, 26 April 2007
“...For Fraser Grant, director of the new production in an English translation by David Crook... the Don - sung on Saturday night by the Belgian baritone Kris Belligh with the long-suffering Leporello sung by Philip Kay - play the buffoonery for all it's worth... Mary-Jane de Havas's Donna Elvira and Zoe Challenor's Zerlina showed themselves to be competent comic actresses as well as accomplished singers... Robin Newton's direction of the Dionysus Ensemble was carefully paced and firm despite an odd blip here and there...” – Ham & High, 26 April 2007
“...Musically it was sublime as always. New MD Robin Newton with his young talented Dionysus Ensemble, arrayed in new seating plan, worked seamlessly by playing the Mozart score brilliantly. Music from this opera has been featured in a host of movie soundtracks, so much of this is known to the hoi polloi as well as us opera buffs. On this occasion we were blessed with the very best once more... Lighting effects were excellent.” – NODA, April 2007
to hell in a blazing new production directed by Fraser Grant
NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY DAVID CROOK
April 19, 20, 21, 26,27 and 28 @ 7.30pm
Mats – Suns April 22 and 29 @
4.0pm
(above the Gatehouse Pub)
Highgate Village, London N6
Tickets £16 (Concessions £14)
Box Office: 020 8 340 3488
Cast and performance dates
DONNA ANNA Alice Woodbridge Stefanie Kemball-Read
DONNA ELVIRA Mary-Jane de Havas Sarah Blood
ZERLINA
Elinor
Moran Zoe Challenor
DON OTTAVIO Andrew Buchanan Paul Koelbloed
DON GIOVANNI Benjamin Seifert Kris Belligh
LEPORELLO David
Yates Philip Kay
MASETTO Dhilan Gnanadurai Jonathan Saunders
COMMENDATORE Bernhard
Crede John Dawswell
| Thursday
19 |
Friday 20 | Saturday
21 |
Sunday 22 matinee | Thursday
26 |
Friday
27 |
Saturday
28 |
Sunday
29
matinee |
|
| Anna |
Stefanie | Alice | Stefanie | Alice | Alice | Stefanie | Alice | Stefanie |
| Elvira |
Mary-Jane | Sarah |
Mary-Jane | Sarah |
Sarah | Mary-Jane |
Sarah | Mary-Jane |
| Zerlina | Zoe | Elinor | Elinor | Zoe | Zoe | Zoe | Elinor | Elinor |
| Giovanni | Kris | Benjamin | Kris | Benjamin | Benjamin | Kris | Benjamin | Kris |
| Leporello |
Philip | David | Philip | David | David |
Philip | David |
Philip |
| Ottavio | Andrew | Paul | Andrew | Paul | Paul | Andrew | Paul | Andrew |
| Masetto |
Dhilan | Jonathan | Dhilan | Jonathan | Jonathan | Dhilan | Jonathan | Dhilan |
| Commendatore | Bernhard | John | Bernhard | John | John | Bernhard | John | Bernhard |
