PERFORMANCE DETAILS Mozart's famous 'Opera of Operas', Don Giovanni, is transformed into classic puppet theatre. Marionette shows are a long-standing tradition in Prague, with Don Giovanni at this theatre consistently rated as the most popular production. Don Giovanni has a unique attachment to Prague. It was while staying in the city in 1787 that W.A. Mozart completed the opera, and then personally conducted its world premiere at the magnificent Estates Theatre. This marionette theatre version tells the classic tale with tall puppets dressed in authentic 18th century period costume. The production pays homage to the Mozart era and is a joy to experience. In marionette theatre the story is recounted visually, with little or no spoken dialogue. This makes the shows ideal for an international audience, for both adults and children.
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Act I begins with Leporello impatiently waiting for his master, Don Giovanni, who is attempting to seduce Donna Anna, the daughter of the Commendatore. As Giovanni and Anna struggle, the Commendatore arrives and challenges Giovanni. A duel ensues, during which the Commendatore is killed, forcing Giovanni and Leporello to flee. While travelling, they encounter Donna Elvira, who flirts with Giovanni. Uninterested, he persuades Leporello to distract her while he slips away. Soon after, Zerlina and Masetto — a young couple about to marry — appear in the square. Giovanni immediately takes an interest in Zerlina, distracting Masetto to pursue her. However, an enraged Elvira arrives and leads Zerlina back to her fiancé.
Meanwhile, Anna enlists her fiancé Ottavio to help find her father’s killer. Unaware that the murderer is Giovanni, Anna and Ottavio ask him for assistance. Elvira interrupts and condemns Giovanni for his seductions, prompting him to accuse her of madness. As he drives her away, Anna suddenly realises that Giovanni is her father’s murderer.
Giovanni decides to host a grand wedding party for Zerlina and Masetto, though he secretly intends to seduce Zerlina again. Elvira, Anna and Ottavio arrive in disguise, determined to expose him. When Giovanni corners Zerlina, she cries out for help, drawing the attention of the guests. Giovanni struggles to justify himself, and in the ensuing turmoil, Elvira, Anna and Ottavio reveal their identities and publicly denounce him.
Act II follows Giovanni and Leporello to the cemetery, where they encounter the statue of the dead Commendatore. Giovanni repeatedly hears the Commendatore’s voice and soon realises the statue is speaking to him. With reckless bravado, he invites the statue to dinner — an invitation that is shockingly accepted. Leporello is horrified yet powerless to intervene.
During the evening meal, Elvira arrives to plead with Giovanni to change his ways. When he refuses, she departs — only to encounter the statue at the door, terrified by its presence.
The statue warns Giovanni to repent or face punishment. Giovanni defiantly refuses and dismisses him. As foretold, the statue breaks open the earth, engulfing Giovanni and his home in flames. Giovanni is condemned to eternal damnation, while Elvira, Leporello, Anna, Ottavio, Zerlina and Masetto recognise that, in the opera’s moral universe, the immoral are always punished in the end. |
