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Title: Great Singing, Terrible Props
Review: I just got this version of Don Giovanni and was very pleased with it. First of, Gilles Cachemailles was a great Don in this- the nastiest ever, I think, especially since I'm used to Thomas Allen, Benjamin Luxon, or Cesare Siepi, who are much more likable in a way. The rest of the cast is great- most notably Julian Banse's lovely Zerlina and Steven Page's comical Leporello. However, there are practically no sets- just a bridge and a platform that goes up and down. The costumes (modern) are totally blah. How scary is a Commendatore that doesn't look like a statue, but a businessman? Ugh. Still, the singing is so good that it makes up for the lack of creativity or fanciness in the sets or costumes.
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