"Don Juan" by Moliere and Adapted by Brendan Pelsue (Westport)

“Don Juan” by Moliere and Adapted by Brendan Pelsue  

Theater: Westport Country Playhouse

Director: David Kennedy 

Though Moliere’s Don Juan was originally performed in 1665, this is a play that can potentially be enjoyed, and perhaps even be relevant, in any time period. The endless interpretations of the story leaves many possibilities for this play to connect to the societal context it is being performed in. Moliere’s play is based on the infamous fictitious character, Don Juan, the notorious libertine. This production was modernized and adapted by Brendan Pelsue and directed by David Kennedy. Westport Country Playhouse was a great venue for the show, allowing the set to make many grand and unexpected transitions. Director David Kennedy found this story relevant to today: “I thought 2019 was the perfect time to revive this acerbically comic tale of an undisciplined, thin skinned narcissist who blazes a path of destruction through the world, upending institutions and social norms, destabilizing everything, offending all decency and morality, and leaving a trail of wreckage in his wake. I can’t ever imagine why.” 

The story follows Don Juan (Nick Westrate), a womanizer and atheist who lacks all morals and has no qualms with sinning in spite of being threatened by a future in hell. The brazen anti-hero’s sidekick and servant, Sganarelle (Bhavesh Patel), serves as both the comic relief and voice of morality. Sganarelle, Don Juan’s wife Dona Elvira (Suzy Jane Hunt), his father (Philip Goodwin), and random appearances from apparitions all warn Don Juan of the consequences of his behaviors, but he ignores them all. According to Brendan Pelsue, “Don Juan is a scoundrel; Don Juan is a truth teller. He represents the worst excesses of an archaic system of privileges, yet seems to usher in a new morality. He is complicated, liberated, decadent, distractible. In other words, he is much like us.” 

            Although Nick Westrate, who portrayed Don Juan, showed true talent as an actor and seemed committed to this role, I don’t believe this was the best casting decision. I envisioned the title character to have a deeper voice and a more macho stature. For someone playing the Casanova, the appeal wasn’t too believable. All physical aspects aside, Westrate gave a great performance, offered sly interactions with the audience, never broke character and owned his role.

            The star of the show was undoubtedly Bhavesh Patel, who stole every scene with his colorful, bigger-than-life portrayal of Sganarelle. His moral dilemma was obvious to the audience from the very first scene. Was keeping his job as the servant worth witnessing Don Juan commit adultery, lie and manipulate? Patel showed an amazing range of emotion over the span of the two-hour show. We witnessed him cracking jokes, displaying physical slapstick humor, emoting true dramatic delivery, and eventually depict being completely defeated. Patel showed great promise to be a budding comedy star. 

            The rest of the cast included Claudia Logan as Mathurine and The Ghost, Bobby Roman as Don Alonzo, Ariana Venturi as Charlotte, Jordan Bellow as Don Carlos, Paul DeBoy as the Statue and Mr. Gusman, Philip Goodwin as the Beggar and Don Lewis, and Carson Elrod as Pierrot and Dimanche. All were solid and contributed strong characterizations.

            Marsha Ginsberg delivered interesting concepts with the set design, unlike anything I have seen before. While the set was sparse in extensive detail and decoration, it utilized just enough props and scenery to define the location. For example, Don Juan’s house was designed with a shimmering gold backdrop which conveyed royalty, a hanging bright pink “amour” light fixture which represented Don Juan’s blatant seductive attitude, and an extremely long and grand dining room table that gave us a glimpse into the opulence of his environment. Along with a few other props, Don Juan’s house was set with just enough purpose and meaning. The overarching walls that were repurposed for pretty much every scene were covered in a light green color, perhaps symbolizing greed. Ginsberg utilized Westport Country Playhouse’s fly system, having items soar in and out, aiding in the quick transitions within the show. The only setting I found incongruent was the forest scene. It was simply a picture of trees on a backdrop, out of place with the rest of the carefully-thought-out set design. The trees on the backdrop for the forest almost seemed like an afterthought. 

            Mathew Richards' lighting design was ideal with not only the lighting but also the fog effects. I appreciated how the fog and the bright white lights shined through the doorway, representing heaven. Another nice touch was the floor lights turning different colors to underscore the scenes. All in all, the lights for this show really coincided with what was happening in the storyline, and were never out-of-place.  

            Brendan Pelsue did a commendable job adapting the play to modern times. However, knowing that the words were changed around, there could have been more current and topical jokes incorporated into the show. I thought some lines could have been cut down even further, taking out some too-chatty bits and eliminating unnecessary fluff.  

            Westport Community Playhouse succeeded with a wonderful show that interspersed a great deal of comedy but also encouraged self-reflection. If this production tours or comes back again, you “don juan” to miss it!  

Photo Credit: Carol Rosegg