Ross Zentner
Sachie Ueshima, Emily Fons and Charles H. Eaton (from left) in "Don Giovanni."
Sachie Ueshima, Emily Fons and Charles H. Eaton (from left) in "Don Giovanni," Madison Opera, 2025.
You don’t have to like Don Giovanni to be drawn into his world. That’s part of the opera’s genius — and its danger. Mozart’s score seduces even as the story condemns, asking us to look past the charm and see what it conceals. Don Giovanni, Madison Opera's final production of the 2024-2025 season, isn’t just about a man facing the devil — it’s about a man who wears the devil’s mask, dressed in elegance and ease.
Based loosely on the legend of Don Juan, Don Giovanni follows a charming nobleman who seduces, deceives and discards people with reckless abandon — until those he’s wronged begin to close in. From abandoned lovers to a grieving daughter and her vengeful fiancé, his past refuses to stay buried. When he kills the father of one of his victims, even the grave can’t shield him.
On Friday night, Madison Opera delivered a performance with plenty of theatrical muscle and more than a few standout moments. Three next-level performers elevated the evening every time they were on stage. Katerina Burton sang Donna Anna with vocal fire and dramatic conviction — every line carried weight, and her “Or sai chi l’onore” was both crystalline and commanding. Emily Fons brought a riveting complexity to Donna Elvira, combining velvety phrasing with the raw edges of emotional instability. She didn’t just sing Elvira — she agonized in real time, making her one of the most human figures on stage. By Act II, Fons was in full command of both the character and the music, delivering a performance that felt lived-in and luminous. And Ashraf Sewailam, as the Commendatore, anchored the opera’s moral reckoning with thunderous authority. Even in stillness, his presence loomed.
These were performances that felt built for larger stages — and Madison was lucky to have them.
The production elements, too, deserve applause. Barry Steele’s lighting design was magnificent — helping a largely gray set come to life with unexpected depth and glow. The color choices and transitions added emotional texture where the set alone might have felt spare. Jeff Skubal’s fight choreography also brought welcome energy. It worked more often than not and injected a sense of physical risk into scenes that might otherwise lean static.
Charles Eaton returned to Madison Opera to make his role debut as that rakish rascal Don Giovanni, and there were extended moments of a very strong portrayal. His baritone has bite, and when he settled into the character’s seductive swagger — especially in the "Champagne Aria" and the graveyard scene — you could glimpse a compelling Giovanni in the making. The role is a bear — vocally and psychologically — and Eaton is still finding his full footing. But he has the tools, no question. With more time in the part, I expect he’ll grow into a formidable Don.
Some of the evening’s shortcomings came down to timing. Director David Lefkowich signed on just two weeks before rehearsals began — and while he clearly brought focus and urgency, the staging sometimes lacked the nuance and specificity that deepen a production. Don Giovanni is one of those rare operas where the stage directions are practically written into the score — the drama is already in the music, waiting to be drawn out.
Jeremiah Sanders, as Leporello, at times rose to the level of Mozart’s scripted humor — delivering crisp patter and playful physicality that drew real laughs. His energy was welcome, and his presence engaging. But some of the directorial choices surrounding his character blurred the period’s class boundaries. A servant like Leporello would never have touched a noblewoman like Donna Elvira — not casually, not without consequence. In this staging, that historical tension was missing, which blunted the class dynamics that are central to the opera’s structure.
There were other moments that didn’t quite ignite. The Act I confrontation between Donna Anna and Don Giovanni — a moment charged with trauma, power imbalance, and memory — needed more psychological heat. Burton delivered vocally, but the staging around her didn’t support the emotional stakes. It’s one of the most pivotal scenes in the opera, and here it felt underdrawn.
I’m a longtime admirer of Maestro John DeMain — I’ve heard the Madison Symphony shimmer under his baton. But this wasn’t their tightest night. The orchestra often sounded disconnected, with tempos that drifted and balances that blurred. The connection between pit and stage felt tenuous. And while the singers pushed forward, the orchestra often seemed a half-step behind — not just DeMain, but Mozart himself.
The cast also could have benefited from sharper Italian diction. There’s no “uh” sound in Italian, but there are lots of pure “ah”s — and when those get muddied, the elegance fades. The language has a natural grace that lifts the vocal line, both musically and dramatically. Without it, some moments lost their shape and their sensuality.
Still, Don Giovanni remains one of opera’s most rewarding challenges, and Madison Opera approached it with ambition and care. Friday's performance, while uneven, had its share of fire and flicker.
Madison Opera’s final Don Giovanni performance is Sunday, May 4, at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall.
