Evening star., 1959-10-04
BY DAY THORPE
Star Music Critic


Wednesday night, and I have
spent q half week at the re-
hearsals Of the Opera Soci-
ety's Don Giovanni" prior
to. its first of three perform
ances-the last today. Wheth-
er the show is to be a hit or
otherwise I do not know as
l. write this, although since
Mozart, da Ponte and Gio-
vanni have been a rather
successful theatrical trio for
nearly two centuries I have
little doubt that there will be
o number of satisfied custo-
mers. Nevertheless, I have
nothing at the moment to
say about the show but a few
random words about what to
me is a fascinating exper-
ience-watching the creation
Of a theatrical production.
Our Don Giovanni" was
born a year ago, when the
Society's vigorous and excit-
ing production of lie Nozze
di Figaro" made it certain
that a feature of this sea-
sons operas would be the
.Don."
First there were dates to
be considered. A date" is
o prick on the calendar when
auditorium, orchestra, con-
ductor, scene designer and a
majority of desired soloists
are all available, and it is no
easy thing to ascertain.
To choose the conductor
was no problem, because no
one has ever suggested that
the Opera Society could find
Q better than Paul Galloway.
As for the director, there
were two obvious choices
Nathaniel Merrill and Ralph
Herbert. The latter had
staged Figaro" and sung the
title role of "Falstaff," the
former had been brilliant in
both "Falstaff" and "Ariadne
auf Naxos." We divided up
the labors of Don Giovanni"
between them, and asked
Robert O'Hearn to design the
sets and James Waring to do
the lighting and the technical
tasks that a resident director
Is charged with.
Then came the job Of
selecting a cast, Of matching
the ideals of the mind and
inner ear with living per-
formers. Each character in
an opera must be a good
singer and a good actor. and
must in addition fit in with
all other characters, being
similar in style and voice
and yet possessing individu-
ality. Choosing a cast is an
endless job, for first choices
are sometimes not available,
but by an alchemy peculiar
perhaps to the theater, Sec
ond and third choices are
often so marvellous that one
is happy that fate was origi-
nally so perverse.
Visual Plans Formed
About the middle of July,
then, we have a dozen or
more creative artists eaeh at
work on a particular facet of
don Giovanni"-learning a
role, designing a visualizing
action. deciding tempt. At
about this time the work
divides into two categories-
the musical and the visual.
The Opera Society rents most
of the costumes it uses but
1t builds all its scenery. The
operas in the general reper-
tory for which it might be
possible to rent scenery from
previous productions in other
cities are not the ones on
which the society has made
its reputation, so it is forced
to consider the design and
manufacture of scenery as
basic an artistic task as the
preparation Of music. Also.
each production of its first
four years has been a differ
ent one--no opera 50 FAR
has been repeated. Novelty
is purchased at the expense
Of considerable extra effort.
Two weeks before opening
night cast and directors start
intensive rehearsal, the notes
having already been men,
otized by the singers and the
action visualized by the di-
rector.
1t is this fortnight Of re-
hearsal. in which the work.
ing day is never as short as