Don Juan

Jeremy Raison's Don Juan is labelled as 'a radical new version' on the programme's cover. Though it is bold, flashy and, at times, creative, calling it 'radical' is giving the production greater credit than it deserves.

Raison has created a concept that twists the production into three separate stories, resulting in a strange mix of Don Juan legends with Oliver Stone's Wall Street and the TV programmes Life on Mars and Lost in Austin.
John D is a modern Don Juan stereotype: successful, powerful, and views women as mere recreation. A wager with a mysterious transient leads to John being magically transposed into 1700s Spain, where he embodies the fabled lover. He spends half the time fulfilling this role and the other half wishing he were back home.

The biggest stumbling block is that the three concepts continually conflict with each other. Each proves dramatically interesting and results in some fine moments. However, as the concepts continually fold into each other, everything soon becomes cluttered and little empathy is felt for either the characters or the plot, especially in the second act when the production completely loses its way and at times fails to make any sense.

It's a shame, because there are many strong elements at play. Raison creates many striking images, having fun in both a modern environment and a classical setting. There are some good choices in the production's design and technical execution, but mistakes (and backstage noise) made many of the effects more of a distraction than a tool to further the dramatic action. And there are some very good performances given by its ensemble, all of whom play multiple characters.

The production hinges on its anti-hero John D/Don Juan, effectively played by Mark Springer. Springer is an excellent choice for the role: attractive, seductive, commanding and able to switch emotions quickly. The audience wants a Don Juan to seduce them, and when Springer is allowed to, he does so admirably. But it felt as if there were times when he was holding back at key scenes, resulting in moments when his conquests seemed shallow at best.

Indeed, 'shallow' seems to be the best word to describe this Don Juan. Even if it has some worthy performances, its high-concept approach and focus on technical eye-candy overtake any emotional payoff, feeling more like an unsatisfying grope than the hot, passionate affair it wants to be.