già la brunch è preparata
Oh, but this looks dire.
Not the fellow wallowing amidst the counterpane, obviously — he’s rather dishy if you like that type — but rather what he’s advertising. It’s a reworking of Don Giovanni called (La Cieca only wishes she were making this up) “The Gay Don,” to be previewed on July 4 at the London Pride festival in Trafalgar Square.
If MusicOMH can be trusted, the gaydaptation is “set in a 1980s club and with most of the Don’s conquests as men rather than women.”
…Zerlina becomes Zac a young James Dean type, Masetto becomes Marina the vampish fiancée of Zac who gets stood up, Don Ottavio is Olga the beautiful and imposing Russian immigrant who is besotted with Alan ( Donna Anna)…
Oh, you can write the rest for yourselves. La Cieca is going to sign off now as she imagines with a shudder the staging of “Là ci darem la mano.”
The interesting questions are:
1) How will Leporello be treated?
2) Will the Don do the Commendattore before (after?) killing him?
“if you like that type”?
I think that’s just taking relativism too, too far.
1) Leporello will be given minimum wage and told to keep the party drugs in separate pockets in case of confusion. I assume he’ll have, um, swarthier skin than the guy in the photo.
2) An s&m scene gone wrong. First the handcuffs, then whacking him with riding crop, then the blade that was supposed to be buttoned when it entered the guy still tearfully begging for more. I see Rene Pape in that role.
but
3) Donna Elvira is who? a corrupted priesthood candidate torn between justice and trying to save his raper’s soul?
“Edward (Donna Elvira) is a closeted older gay guy demanding vengeance on Don Giovanni’s for his sexual exploitation of so many young men.”
They don’t say on Don Giovanni’s what, but La Cieca has her suspicions.
On Don Giovanni’s sword, obviously.
Wow. No wonder they found this concept irresistible, given the ease with which Elvira translates into an old queen seeking vengeance due to inexplicable and unrealistic Shavian motivations.
@5: Yeah, his nut-brown sword.
Leporello will obviously be the Don’s fag hag.
Seeing as Gregorio Marañón, Spanish polymath, yonks ago in the 20s analysed the Don’s behaviour as stemming from his desire to repress or counter his homosexuality, these guys are rather late. How, on the other hand, is the Don supposed to stand out in a gay club? Certainly not with his paultry little laundry list.
Who can blame these idiots, given the success (albeit years ago) of Matthew Bourne’s “Swan Lake?” It wasn’t a fresh approach then and it isn’t fresh now…