Designing a dark world for Don Giovanni
It was in Vienna that director David McVicar and designer Robert Jones discovered the strongest image that would inspire their Don Giovanni. In the catacombs under an ancient church, more than 4,000 bodies lie.
“We went in and looked at this and there were piles of bones and skulls all coming up through the earth,” explains Jones. “That gave us a really strong image for the set.”
“We all know where this is going: Don Giovanni will die. We wanted to get a sense that death was near, that you can almost smell it. So it’s always in the set. It’s always apparent. We never let it go away. It’s not light and bright, it’s dark and earthy, it’s slippery, it’s wet. It’s an uncomfortable world to be in. There’s a sense of danger.”
— Robert Jones
“You’re never quite sure who is listening or overhearing a conversation. Someone can appear or disappear into the shadows and there aren’t necessarily doorways to walk through but there are lots of entrances, pillars to hide behind and walls to hide behind. It’s a world of shadows, you never quite know who is around.”
– Robert Jones
Who lacerates my soul?
Who torments my body?
What torment, oh me, what agony!
What a Hell! What a terror!
— Don Giovanni
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