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If you think the English language is as eloquent and lyrical as it gets, then you should probably reserve your ticket for “Don Giovanni” at Ouachita Baptist University, which opened Thursday, and will play again tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Jones Performing Arts Center on Ouachita’s campus.
The Italian language is the star of the opera, which is all about a Casanova in the first degree, Don Giovanni. Thankfully, though, for those of us who do not speak Italian, Ouachita has presented easy-to-red subtitles above the stage, though the acting, music and production is of such high quality that there is never any trouble following the plot.
According to the program, Don Giovanni is “a young, arrogant, sexually prolific nobleman” who “abuses and outrages everyone else in the cast, until he encounters something he cannot kill, beat up, dodge or outwit.”
And the scene where the character confronts this “something” is, quite frankly, thrilling. I cannot divulge much in the way of detail without giving away too much plot, but let’s just say that smoke effects figure in prominently. Ouachita displays impressive production values during this sequence.
The character of Don Giovanni, also according to the program, is based on “the great Spanish lover Don Juan,” and was written by the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The dramatic comedy has supposedly “been called the greatest of all operas.”
That said, Dr. Jon Secrest, who served as the opera’s conductor, stresses that this is not the stereotypical opera that many might have trouble relating to. “People should come see it to dispel the myth that opera is ‘high-brow’ entertainment,” said Secrest.
There are two separate casts for the production, one which will performed on Thursday, and will perform again on Saturday, and another that performs tonight and Sunday. Secrest said the purpose of having two casts is to help “more of our students have the opportunity to have a major role on their resumes.”
The cast that I saw, which is the same cast that will be performing tonight, was exceptional. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought Italian is actually their first language.
Andrew Miller, who plays Don Giovanni in both casts, does an excellent job of portraying the renegade character. Sean Wilson, who also appears in both casts, is a standout as Don Giovanni’s servant Leporello, who is an obvious audience favorite with his bumbling humor and simplicity.
I cannot stress enough how beautiful the music is. It is really an impressive, fantastic score. Secrest emphasized how impressive it is that college students are performing “Don Giovanni.” “It is the best opera ever,” said Secrest, “and we had students do it.”
Dr. Glenda Secrest served as the stage director and helps keep the two-hour play zipping along at a speed that makes it seem half the length. There is an intermission between its two acts.
For a night at the opera, this is definitely as good as it gets in Arkadelphia, and probably in the whole state.
Tickets at $10 and can be purchased before the show or online at www.obu.edu/finearts. Ouachita students receive a free ticket with their student ID. For more information, call 245-5563.
If you think the English language is as eloquent and lyrical as it gets, then you should probably reserve your ticket for “Don Giovanni” at Ouachita Baptist University, which opened Thursday, and will play again tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Jones Performing Arts Center on Ouachita’s campus.
The Italian language is the star of the opera, which is all about a Casanova in the first degree, Don Giovanni. Thankfully, though, for those of us who do not speak Italian, Ouachita has presented easy-to-red subtitles above the stage, though the acting, music and production is of such high quality that there is never any trouble following the plot.
According to the program, Don Giovanni is “a young, arrogant, sexually prolific nobleman” who “abuses and outrages everyone else in the cast, until he encounters something he cannot kill, beat up, dodge or outwit.”
And the scene where the character confronts this “something” is, quite frankly, thrilling. I cannot divulge much in the way of detail without giving away too much plot, but let’s just say that smoke effects figure in prominently. Ouachita displays impressive production values during this sequence.
The character of Don Giovanni, also according to the program, is based on “the great Spanish lover Don Juan,” and was written by the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The dramatic comedy has supposedly “been called the greatest of all operas.”
That said, Dr. Jon Secrest, who served as the opera’s conductor, stresses that this is not the stereotypical opera that many might have trouble relating to. “People should come see it to dispel the myth that opera is ‘high-brow’ entertainment,” said Secrest.
There are two separate casts for the production, one which will performed on Thursday, and will perform again on Saturday, and another that performs tonight and Sunday. Secrest said the purpose of having two casts is to help “more of our students have the opportunity to have a major role on their resumes.”
The cast that I saw, which is the same cast that will be performing tonight, was exceptional. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought Italian is actually their first language.
Andrew Miller, who plays Don Giovanni in both casts, does an excellent job of portraying the renegade character. Sean Wilson, who also appears in both casts, is a standout as Don Giovanni’s servant Leporello, who is an obvious audience favorite with his bumbling humor and simplicity.
I cannot stress enough how beautiful the music is. It is really an impressive, fantastic score. Secrest emphasized how impressive it is that college students are performing “Don Giovanni.” “It is the best opera ever,” said Secrest, “and we had students do it.”
Dr. Glenda Secrest served as the stage director and helps keep the two-hour play zipping along at a speed that makes it seem half the length. There is an intermission between its two acts.
For a night at the opera, this is definitely as good as it gets in Arkadelphia, and probably in the whole state.
Tickets at $10 and can be purchased before the show or online at www.obu.edu/finearts. Ouachita students receive a free ticket with their student ID. For more information, call 245-5563.
