Understanding the Don

Young Chang

You would think a guy would get sick of a role after 200-plus

appearances.

But William Shimell, who hails from England, says the part of Don

Giovanni is infinitely malleable. Which is why he can’t get sick of it.

“He’s almost an empty character himself,” said the Metropolitan Opera

baritone who has performed the role everywhere from Britain to Hong Kong.

“It’s the way other people respond to him that makes him real. He’s

almost like a psychological vampire.”

Through years of playing the womanizing libertine, Shimell has also

learned that this principal character is more than just awful “swine.”

The don is disturbed, to say the least, and perhaps even regretful after

realizing that chasing women isn’t the answer to life.

“That’s the way I try to play him,” the performer said.

As open to interpretation as the title character is, so is the overall

production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” Running Tuesday through Jan. 27 at

the Orange County Performing Arts Center, the classic opera is directed

by Thor Steingraber of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, with a set design by

Riccardo Hernandez. This new production, presented by Opera Pacific, has

focused on trying to be beautiful, but not visually overwhelming in

design.

“Sometimes you go to the opera and you see lots of pretty costumes and

pretty scenery,” Shimell said. “It becomes sort of homes and gardens. And

sometimes in extreme situations it becomes more about the set and the

costume than the opera.”

Shimell said that the set he’s been working on definitely looks good,

but that the designer was careful not to have the props and scenes

distract from the real gem of the show: Don Giovanni’s psychological

struggles.

Mark McCrory, who alternates the lead role with Shimell, said his take

on the lascivious scoundrel is that he’s tormented. He goes after women

as if seducing them is a physical conquest, paying the ultimate price in

the end. More than just evil and a criminal, he’s a sad guy, McCrory

said.

“He goes through so many emotions through the opera,” he added. “It’s

driving him crazy in a way. It’s challenging dramatically to convey that

and balance that out with singing. It’s easy to get caught up in the

drama of it and get really tense.”

Shimell said his challenge in playing the role is rendering the

character understandable, and perhaps even someone the audience can

sympathize with.

“He behaves horribly to everyone, but you somehow have to make him

sympathetic in a way,” he said. “He’s not quite as unpleasant as he can

seem. But he’s not a very likable man.”

Whatever he is or isn’t, Don Giovanni is definitely a complex man --

both to understand and to perform.

“It’s one of those roles that’s a real tour de force,” said McCrory,

who has portrayed the villain once before. “It’s definitely not one of

those roles you’re going to conquer right away. I hope to do it many

times and hope to improve upon it and my characterization of it.”

FYI

* WHAT: “Don Giovanni”

* WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Jan. 26; and 2 p.m.

Jan. 27

* WHERE: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa

* COST: $25-$175

* CALL: (800) 346-7372