For five years, I spent one or two nights at Concordia University's E.M. Pearson Theatre watching opera/operetta/musical theater as part of
Skylark Opera's Annual Summer Festival. Last year, the festival was abruptly cancelled as the company went through financial and leadership challenges. I'm happy to report that Skylark is back, rebranded as Skylark Opera Theatre, now with their second show under new Artistic Director Robert Neu. The Summer Festival has not returned, but Skylark's commitment to presenting accessible opera in English hasn't changed. Their second production (after
The Tragedy of Carmen earlier this year) is a
site-specific production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, with new English translation by Robert Neu and Gabriel Preisser, who also plays the title character. It bears more than a little resemblance to last summer's site-specific Mozart (
The Marriage of Figaro in the James J. Hill House) by Robert Neu's other company,
Angels and Demons Entertainment, a co-producer of this show. Like
Marriage of Figaro, this
Don Giovanni is an intimate, immersive experience that one doesn't usually get with opera.
