Mozart Smoothies in the South Bay

 

Maria Brea as Donna Elvira, Nicole
Koh as Zerlina. Photo by Dave Lepori.

Opera San Jose

Don Giovanni

Sept. 13, 2026

OSJ has undertaken an ambitious production based on film noir and chiaroscuro sensibilities, and though these effects are striking, the singers, as they often do, took over. Put briefly, the performance was dominated by a cast of voices with extraordinarily smooth styles: legato, polish, whatever you want to call it, this is a cast that will make you hear Giovanni with fresh ears.

Our title character is played by bass Wm. Clay Thompson, who projects the aura of a rock star: tall, blonde and good-looking, a Thor in Spaniard’s clothing. And what clothing! A blazing scarlet suit and gold coat (Caitlin Cisek, costume designer). Thompson certainly has the ability to deliver the rowdier passages - say, the party anthem of “Fin ch’han dal vino” - but what’s extraordinary is his talent for toning things down. His response to Giovanni’s murder of the Commendatore bespeaks compassion and regret, just another set of complications for an eternally puzzling persona. Later, he performs the maid’s serenade, “Deh vieni all finestra” in a sublime understatement.

The height difference between Giovanni and Leporello (Phillip Lopez) is so obvious it doesn’t even need to be highlighted - it’s just constantly amusing. They are a hell of an odd couple, particularly when Giovanni drops him into a dip and caresses him to illustrate his all-encompassing passion for women. Lopez provides a pugnacious frenemy, his voice equal in power to his master’s despite the difference in stature and station. His treatment of the book aria - regarding the sacred volume that chronicles Giovanni’s conquests - is even funnier than usual, augmented by fold-out addenda and a poster-size nude sketch of his target audience, Donna Elvira.

The most astounding instrument belongs to Yulan Piao, playing Donna Anna. Her soprano has so much power and charisma that it can actually be a little startling. She does, however, have the ability to throttle it down and shape her dynamics, as in the famed mourning aria, “Non mi dir.” This time, however, I think I prefer “Or sai chi l’onore,” the dramatic retelling of her father’s murder, which takes full advantage of her power and paints a vivid picture.

Anna’s reassurance comes from her betrothed, Don Ottavio, and Jonghyun Park plays the role with a perfect Mozartean tenor, free, clear, and easy, and deployed with a similar attention to artful crescendos and well-shaped lines. Ottavio’s character is frankly annoying; he makes many pledges and rarely actually does anything about it. He’s like Hamlet without the madness. I could understand, however, how pleasant it might be, spending the day listening to him sing such treasures as “Dalla sua pace” and “Il mio tesoro.” And also, everything does turn out well in the end, so perhaps doing nothing actually works! 

Soprano Maria Brea brings a lovely vocal moderation to her Donna Elvira but not (thank goodness) to her acting. Outfitted with a boat-wide gown and a divine three-poof red wig (Calli Carvajal, wig designer), Brea makes her entrance like a woman on fire, with crazy eyes and a stalker aura. The opera’s funniest gag is the way Elvira shows up whenever Giovanni’s about to get lucky. The second funniest gag may be the way she absolutely melts anytime the Don shows her the least attention (as En Vogue sings, “You’re never gonna get it.”).

Nicole Koh sings Zerlina with a feathery agility, while Joseph Park balances Masetto’s jealousy with the knowledge that he is trapped between feminine wiles and a nobleman’s power and had best resign himself to whatever he gets. Kenneth Kellogg, meanwhile, is one scary Commendatore.

The visual packaging dreamed up by stage director Alek Shrader was definitely striking. Steven C. Kemp’s sets featured black and gray backgrounds that set off the more colorful furnishings upstage. This was especially effective in the final banquet scene which gleams golden in its columns and chandeliers. Perhaps the most intriguing elements, however, were the oddly modern rectangular towers, whose rooftop balconies revealed a series of surprise guests. Another oddity was the quartet of musicians, who resembled the party guests from Rocky Horror and, true to form, delighted in dragging Giovanni to hell.

Joseph Marcheso and orchestra were utterly at home in Mozart’s score. I am mad jelly over the riser that gives harpsichordist Veronika Agranov-Dafoe an equidistant view of stage and pit, optimizing her continuo work.

In the humor category, Leporello banged against a door that was supposed to be locked but, much to his chagrin, kept swinging open. He also delivered one of the better lines as he watched Giovanni and Elvira bickering: “This would make a fine opera.”

Through Sept. 27, California Theater, 345 South First Street, San Jose. $49-$249, operasj.org, 408/437-4450.

Michael J. Vaughn is a 40-year opera critic and author of 31 novels, including Operaville and Gabriella’s Voice. Look for his titles at Amazon.com.