Don Juan is a womaniser. He is a misogynist Spanish Latin-lover of the 15th Century; a heartless swordsman who has been adapted time and time again in books, movies and plays and yet again by the Rec Theatre Company.
In this incarnation, Don Juan is a one-man show, which relies only on a table and a chair as props. The show is in a very intimate, with the small stage being surrounded by chairs, creating a bond of confidence between Don Juan (Glenn Naden) and the audience. This sparse set-up makes it feel more like we’re being told a story by an enthusiastic old friend, than viewing a play. It is a pity then, that the story isn’t too interesting.
The tale of Don Juan, and how he grew from child to adolescent, from being secluded in a monastery to being mistaken for a woman, or how he won a fight against thirty angry adversaries, will make the viewers laugh a couple of times, but the rest of the time will leave them with a faint smile of acknowledgment in their faces.
Naden’s main asset is his power to transform himself into different characters with just his voice and that he manages to lightly entertain the stalls over a long fifty minutes.
3/5
Adrian G. Velazquez
