IN CONCERT: Don Giovanni
Where: Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St.
When: April 20, 22, 24 and 26
Tickets: $29-$156 from the Royal McPherson box office at 250-386-6121, or online at www.rmts.bc.ca
When the Pacific Opera Victoria production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni opens Wednesday night, it will set off a succession of firsts. The week of Royal Theatre performances not only represent the company’s first mainstage productions since February 2020, they also mark the role debuts of several cast members.
As well, the run will be the first time veteran stage director Maria Lamont has directed the time-worn classic based on the story of Don Juan, which in itself is something of a surprise. She has been in the director’s chair at several top opera houses around the world — including La Scala in Milan, Teatro Real in Madrid and the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam — but only on rare occasions does she tackle operas by one of the great composers of all time.
“For some reason, I haven’t worked on that much Mozart in my career,” Lamont said by phone, during rehearsals for the upcoming production. “It crossed my path in opera school, and I have been offered Don Giovanni [before], but it never worked out.”
Lamont, who was born in Winnipeg but lives in Antwerp, Belgium, said she relished the opportunity to work with Pacific Opera again, having collaborated with the company on Maria Stuarda in 2012 and La Bohème in 2018. The title role in Don Giovanni will be played by Vancouver bass baritone Daniel Okulitch. Lucia Lucas, who lives in Germany, was originally cast in the role when Pacific Opera announced the production in November. The company has not announced publicly why a casting change was made.
Though Okulitch is making his mainstage Pacific Opera debut with this production, the title character is one he knows well; he has occupied the role more than a dozen times with the Bolshoi Theatre, New York City Opera and Kansas City Lyric Opera, among other companies. For an intricately detailed production like Don Giovanni, Lamont said she relied on the experience of Okulitch and other seasoned performers in the cast, whose contributions were considerable.
“It’s easy with a plot this complicated, with all the comedy, to miss a trick.” Lamont said it was “a joy” to work her way through Don Giovanni for the first time, though a production of this magnitude always comes with a certain degree of stress.
“You want to be able to give the amount of attention and time that is necessary for it to have enough depth.”
She was supported in the endeavour by a top-tier stage crew, who were very good under pressure, she said. In theatre, a production develops over such a long period of time, whereas with opera, things can come together very quickly at the last minute. “Things get very tight very quickly in the last rehearsals.”
When it comes to opera, technical prowess and innovation are important, but preparation is key above all else — especially during the rehearsal process, Lamont said. The pandemic made in-person meetings impossible, but she stayed in touch with her Victoria cast and crew during the two-year stretch. Lamont embraced new and unique ways of working, and collaborated regularly with set and costume designer Christina Poddubiuk over Zoom.
Lamont said it was a surprisingly effective way of working. all things considered. The delays meant everyone involved with the production had time on their own to summon creativity, before bringing it back to the group.
“It’s such a masterpiece, and you come into it with such pre-conceived notions and ideas about what it is,” she said. “I’ve seen many productions of it, but the plot is so delicate and detailed, that when you work on it [together] you realize, ‘Wow, this is a real head-exploder.’ ”
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