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Press: Opera UCT brings Mozart’s DON GIOVANNI to The Baxter
The CoLab Network
No charm can stop what’s coming! Opera UCT is proud to present Mozart’s DON GIOVANNI at The Baxter in Cape Town, on stage at The Pam Golding Theatre, from 22 to 25 October 2026, for four shows only.
The Opera UCT cast and chorus are joined by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra in a fully staged production directed by French-American director and Royal Opera Jette Parker artist Talia Stern, designed by Allegra Bernacchioni, and conducted by Jeremy Silver and Royal Opera Jette Parker artist Peggy Wu.
Don Giovanni seduces, deceives and discards women without conscience. When one of his conquests leads to the murder of the girl’s father, a sinister force is unleashed from beyond the grave. Accustomed to getting his way, Don Giovanni’s years of cruelty and debauchery catch up with him, and he finds himself facing death head on.
Mozart and his librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte, move from terror to humour in an absorbing story that raises compelling questions about sex, seduction, individual freedom and the right to defy societal norms.
“The question of Don Giovanni’s identity is one we encounter from the beginning of Mozart’s opera. Often portrayed as a libertine, a rebel or even the embodiment of sin, this production looks beneath the legend to consider the man himself. What drives him? What does he fear? At its heart, this is a story about a man running from something he cannot escape. Beneath the seduction, bravado and relentless pursuit lies a very human fear: mortality,” says director Talia Stern.
Stern is joined by Italian set and costume designer Allegra Bernacchioni, whose international career has included work at Teatro alla Scala, the Arena di Verona, the Royal Opera House Muscat and theatres across Europe and Asia. Now based in Cape Town, Bernacchioni previously worked with Franco Zeffirelli’s creative team and has designed productions for Opera UCT and Cape Town Opera.
At the podium, Opera UCT Director Jeremy Silver is joined by Hong Kong-born conductor Peggy Wu, a Jette Parker Artist at the Royal Ballet and Opera. Silver has conducted throughout the UK and South Africa, as well as appearing in opera houses and concert halls in France, Holland, the USA and Malaysia. Wu has conducted the orchestras of the Royal Opera House and English National Opera and has worked with ensembles including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and London Sinfonietta.
“This production is exactly the kind of work Opera UCT exists to do: bringing emerging artistic talent into focus with inspiring public performance. Our cast and chorus are nurtured by an international creative team within the demands of a fully staged professional production, accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Cape Town audiences will experience Mozart’s opera with its full vocal, musical and theatrical force,” says Jeremy Silver, director of Opera UCT.
Mozart’s score moves between dark tragedy and sparkling comedy, combining tense orchestral writing, expressive arias and lively ensembles as Don Giovanni’s confidence gives way to consequence.
The opera is sung in Italian, with English and isiXhosa subtitle. It has a running time of approximately three hours and 15 minutes, including one interval. Please note this production contains descriptions of sexual assault.
Tickets can be booked online through Webtickets or at The Baxter’s Box Office. Full-price tickets range from R210 to R550. Pensioner tickets range from R170 to R380, with student tickets at R100 and under-18 tickets at R18. For the Sunday 15h00 performance, audiences can book a R150 lunch at 13h00 or dinner at 18h30 at La Cuccina through Webtickets, with 150 places available per sitting.
Opera UCT brings artist development and public production together, preparing emerging opera professionals while creating compelling opera for those who know the art form well and those encountering it for the first time.
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