French musical makes Don Juan fall in love

Don Juan, one of the most popular French musicals, made its China debut on Jan 25 in Shanghai and will visit six other cities this year, the 20th anniversary of its premiere.

Written by French composer Felix Gray in 2003 and brought to the stage in 2004 by director Gilles Maheu, who also directed musical Notre Dame de Paris, this celebrated musical has been staged with great success in France, Canada and South Korea. In 2016, a Japanese version was staged by the Takarazuka Revue. Over the past two decades, it has been seen by 600,000 people around the world.

Don Juan is the legendary libertine and seducer of Spanish folklore, an aristocratic playboy known for his flirtatious behavior. Over the centuries, around 1,000 works of art have been made about him in forms ranging from poetry, to music and films, turning the fictional character into an icon of Western culture.

In 2003, Gray drew on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera Don Giovanni and Tirso de Molina's The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest for his adaptation of the classic storyline.

Unlike most artistic works about Don Juan, the musical is a more modern interpretation of the character, and presents his story from a more human perspective.

Another highlight that differentiates the musical from other works about Don Juan is that the legendary seducer loses his heart.

"In the musical, Don Juan falls in love. Love becomes his biggest punishment, as he has broken the hearts of so many women, and then finds a love that borders on madness," Gray said during an event following the musical's Shanghai premiere, adding that this particular twist to the well-known tale is unique.

"Don Juan is contradictory and confusing. He loves fighting, drinking, pleasure and all things crazy. But when we talk about Don Juan, no one knows what he really wanted. We don't even know if he was really happy," he says. "In the musical, we filled him with complex and infinite emotions, such as love and hate, friendship and paternal love, betrayal and jealousy, loss and glory."

Gian Marco Schiaretti, who plays the title role, says that he used his own understanding of first love to inform his performance. "Don Juan has been living a bestial life. After he finds true love, he becomes like a child, begins to learn about love and its value, and finally realizes his mistakes and gently shows repentance. It can be seen as the process of change," he says.

Other captivating aspects are the passionate music and dance performances, which have Spanish overtones, despite the show's French origins, including impressive, rhythmic and dreamy flamenco dance sequences, bright guitar tones and other Spanish musical elements.

"French musicals are often full of intense and strong expressions of emotion from beginning to end. That's what Latin culture is also supposed to be about, and that's what French culture is about, bringing something very emotional to the audience," says the show's producer, Nicolas Talar.

Carlos Rodriguez, the show's choreographer, shared similar sentiments. "I think the most important part of flamenco is the voice and energy that comes from the heart, as this musical is speaking about love, passion, sadness and essence," he says.

The musical will continue its performance at Shanghai Culture Square until Thursday and will then continue its China tour to six other cities, including Beijing, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, Guangzhou in Guangdong province, and Nanjing in Jiangsu province, from March 21 to May 5.

Laurent Ban, who plays the role of Don Juan's best friend Don Carlos, has been to China many times to perform in musicals, including Mozart, L'Opera Rock. He says that the team has been preparing for this tour for four years.

"I think this is the right time to bring Don Juan to China, and this musical is to Chinese audiences' taste," Ban says. "It's not only the charm of French romance and Latin culture, but I think the rhythm, dance, emotional power, the passion for love, and the theme of having the courage to die for love will be well-received by Chinese audiences."