Opera UCT will stage the fully realised production at the Pam Golding Theatre at the Baxter Theatre Centre from 22 to 25 October, accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. There are just four performances.
The opera follows Don Giovanni, a man accustomed to seducing women and escaping the consequences. But after one of his conquests leads to the murder of her father, a sinister force enters the story – and his confidence begins to unravel.
Rather than portraying Don Giovanni simply as a villain or irresistible libertine, director Talia Stern wants audiences to consider the man beneath the legend.
“The question of Don Giovanni’s identity is one we encounter from the beginning of Mozart’s opera,” says Stern. “Often portrayed as a libertine, a rebel or even the embodiment of sin, this production looks beneath the legend to consider the man himself.”
For Stern, the character’s relentless pursuit of pleasure masks something more fundamental: his fear of mortality.
“Beneath the seduction, bravado and relentless pursuit lies a very human fear: mortality,” she says.
Written by Mozart with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, the opera moves between tension, humour and tragedy while raising questions about sex, seduction, individual freedom and the consequences of defying social conventions.
Stern, a French-American director and Jette Parker Artist at the Royal Opera, leads a creative team that includes Italian set and costume designer Allegra Bernacchioni.
Bernacchioni’s international career includes work at Teatro alla Scala, the Arena di Verona and the Royal Opera House Muscat, as well as productions across Europe and Asia. Now based in Cape Town, she has also designed productions for Opera UCT and Cape Town Opera.
The production will be conducted by Opera UCT director Jeremy Silver and Hong Kong-born conductor Peggy Wu, a Jette Parker Artist at the Royal Ballet and Opera.
Silver has conducted across the UK and South Africa, as well as in opera houses and concert halls in France, the Netherlands, the US and Malaysia. Wu has conducted the orchestras of the Royal Opera House and English National Opera, and worked with ensembles including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and London Sinfonietta.
For Opera UCT, the production is an opportunity to bring emerging performers into the spotlight through a fully staged professional production.
“This production is exactly the kind of work Opera UCT exists to do: bringing emerging artistic talent into focus with inspiring public performance,” says Silver.
“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.”
Mozart’s score moves between dramatic orchestral passages, expressive arias and lively ensembles as Don Giovanni’s confidence gives way to the consequences of his actions.
The opera is sung in Italian, with English and isiXhosa subtitles, and runs for approximately three hours and 15 minutes, including one interval. The production contains descriptions of sexual assault.
Opera UCT’s Don Giovanni runs at the Pam Golding Theatre at the Baxter Theatre Centre from Thursday, 22 October, to Sunday, 25 October 2026.
Full-price tickets range from R210 to R550. Pensioner tickets cost between R170 and R380, student tickets are R100, and tickets for under-18s cost R18.
Bookings are available through Webtickets and the Baxter Box Office.
For the Sunday performance, audiences can also book lunch at La Cuccina for R150 at 1pm, or dinner at 6:30pm. Each sitting has 150 places available, with bookings through Webtickets.
