ARTS & CULTURE: The sopranos get down and dirty in Don Giovanni

Lust, murder, betrayal and vengeance take center stage in the Mafia-style production of Don Giovanni that showed at the Enzian last Sunday and Monday as part of their Summer Opera Series. Trust me, this is not your grandparent's opera.

The Enzian, filling in the culture gap left after the recent closing of the Orlando Opera, partnered with Emerging Pictures to bring High Definition opera from around the world to Central Florida. It's a great idea. The camera angles capture the performance in a way you would never get to see in a live production, you can hear every single note and the subtitles on the screen make is possible to follow the story. It's also a lot cheaper than live opera (single tickets are only $20) and you don't have to dress to the nines (but of course, you still can if you want to). The operas are coming from a prestigious selection of world-renowned venues including La Scala, the Salzburg Festival, the Bolshoi at L’Opera de Paris, and the Teatro Regio (Parma).

Don Giovanni is probably Mozart's most famous opera, following an engaging story of a horny libertine who probably has the best "game" on the planet. This modern adaptation was staged in a forest at night, and the set looked like the line for Universal’s E.T. ride, with moonlight peeking through towering pines. The costumes look like they came straight out of "The Godfather," with the men sporting sleek Italian suits and the women wearing sexy form fitting dresses.

In this production, directed by Claus Guth, the libertine Don Giovanni is essentially a philandering mobster who gets shot during a skirmish with the Commendatore at the beginning of the show. Don Giovanni spends the entire show bleeding out as he seduces women, crashes a wedding party and evades an angry mob with the help of his faithful servant Leporello, a very funny heroin junkie. Hilarity and passion ensues, with powerful music, mistaken identities and very sexy romance scenes. It was like watching an episode of "The Sopranos," only with ACTUAL sopranos. Don Giovanni even has a Tony Soprano-style hallucination sequence when he and his servant conjure up a menacing ghost figure which casts Don Giovanni down into his grave.

Opera isn't just for old folks. The story was interesting and easy to follow, all of the performers were GORGEOUS. Plus, it's nice to sit on one of Enzian's comfy couches and sip wine while soaking up some culture. I definitely recommend checking out one of the remaining screenings in the Summer Opera Series.

Here is the schedule:

Rigoletto

July 19 : 12 p.m.
July 20 : 8 p.m.

Otello

August 1 : 12 p.m.

Eugene Onegin

August 15 : 12 p.m.
August 17 : 8 p.m.

Romeo et Juliette

August 29 : 12 p.m.
August 31 : 8 p.m.