THE LAST DAYS OF DON JUAN Comes to Kings Road Park

The Classical Theatre Lab's production of The Last Days of Don Juan is presented with the support of the City of West Hollywood's Arts Division.

The Last Days of Don Juan is the earliest known dramatic appearance of literature's most famous (or infamous) romantic rogue. He is possibly the first of the red hot lovers. The Seducer from Seville goes from place to place, city to city, town to town, village to village, deceiving, deflowering, despoiling and devastating beautiful maiden after beautiful maiden. He is aided and abetted in his adventures by his loyal servant Catalina, who time and again helps Don Juan escape angry pursuers.

This libertine lord of lust finds his fortunes begin to change after he slays the angry father of one of his conquests in a sword fight. Not long after, Don Juan finds himself opposed by supernatural forces that seek to punish him for his wicked, wicked ways. Can he seek repentance and find forgiveness in time?

Don't be deterred by the title. It's no more of a giveaway of the ending than was the title of the movie Titanic. Then again.....

Written in the Seventeenth Century, this romantic fable has particular resonance for the current moments of #MeToo and #Time'sUp.

The playwright is Tirso de Molina (1579-1648), a poet and Roman Catholic monk who wrote 400 plays (80 of which still survive) and who was Spain's second most popular playwright during his lifetime, exceeded in fame only by his literary idol Lope De Vega. De Molina appears to be trying to have it both ways with The Last Days of Don Juan, writing gleefully about sex and lust while reminding the audience that this is, after all, sin that could get you damned. Unsurprisingly, the wildly popular narrative resulted in his being reprimanded by church authorities.

The English language adaptation performed here was originally created by Nick Dear for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1990. Dear is the author of 24 plays and has written extensively for British television, BBC Radio, and libretti for opera.

Suzanne Hunt-Jenner directs. . Previously, she directed the award-winning Finding Fossils at the Road Theatre. For the West Hollywood Summer Theatre in the Park, she directed The Country Wife and she produced A Family Affair, The Trouble in Chiozza, Something of Silver: The Merchant of Venice with Music. She is the co-Artistic Coordinator of Classical Theatre Lab. Also an actor, she's recognizable from her dozens of network television appearances.

Her cast for The Last Days of Don Juan includes Carlo Figlio (as Don Juan), Virtic Emil Brown, Christina Conte, Erin Fitzgerald, Lauren Lewis, Luke Guldan, Nico Madden, Michael Sturgis, Ian Waters, Donald Wayne and Alexander Wells.

The show is being produced under an Equity agreement..

Parking is available on the street or in nearby covered municipal parking.

This marks Classical Theatre Lab's return to West Hollywood Parks after a three-year hiatus. It's the Lab's eleventh season of theatre in WeHo Parks overall.

The Last Days of Don Juan has wide appeal, with moments of romance, lust, swordplay, slapstick comedy, wrenching tragedy, intrigue, dance, music, cross-dressing, the supernatural, and beautiful love. In short, something for everyone.

To post a comment, you must register and login.