How a Modern Don Giovanni Puts Narrative at the Center

Why Story Comes First in Opera

There’s nothing more glorious than sitting in a dark theatre filled with strangers, all immersed in a story told through music. Unless, of course, you're experiencing it from the inside—as a performer breathing life into centuries-old characters, or as the creative team reimagining how that story gets told.

I'm a composer by training, but I'm a Broadway guy at heart. I grew up on Sondheim and Schwartz, Bernstein and Berlin. I wore out my parents' Jesus Christ Superstar cast album by the time I was five. Music has always been everything to me. And that’s exactly why, in my production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, story comes first—because music means more when it’s driven by purpose.

Opera Isn’t a Museum Piece

Too often, opera is treated like a museum exhibit—gorgeous, sacred, and kept safely behind glass. But Mozart wasn’t writing museum pieces. He was writing living, breathing drama that pushed boundaries and broke rules.

In Mozart's Don Giovanni: A Rock Opera, we’re honoring that rebellious spirit by making every moment feel urgent and necessary. This isn’t a history lesson. It’s happening now.

We don’t just want to sing beautifully. We want to make people feel something deeply. That means digging into character, into stakes, into truth—not just vocal technique.

Why Acting Matters as Much as Singing

Yes, this cast is made up of phenomenal singers. That’s a given. What makes them extraordinary is that they’re also phenomenal actors.

Take our approach to the Catalogue Aria, now reimagined as "The Almanac of Fornication." Instead of delivering it as a comic aria or vocal showcase, our Leporello treats it like a psychological confession. He isn’t just listing conquests—he’s revealing the compulsive emptiness driving his master.

Every number becomes a window into the soul—not just a display of technique. That’s the difference in our production: every phrase, every gesture, every note is grounded in intention. It’s not just what is sung—it’s why.

And that “why” is where storytelling lives.

The Audience Experience Drives Every Choice

Every decision we make starts with one question: What will the audience feel?

This isn’t about pleasing purists—though frankly, I’d argue my version is truer to Mozart than most of what’s out there. It’s about pulling people in, whether it’s their first opera or their fiftieth. It’s about creating something so raw and alive that they forget they’re watching a 230-year-old story.

In our rehearsal room, music serves the narrative. We tell the story with the full body—voice, presence, connection. Words alone aren’t enough. They never were.

Why This Matters for Modern Opera

Opera has always evolved. Mozart was an innovator who broke rules, made jokes, and built theatricality into his scores. We’re honoring that spirit by updating the form without betraying its soul.

When opera becomes trapped in reverence for its own history, it loses what made it powerful in the first place: its ability to move people.

Storytelling is what connects opera to Broadway, classical music to rock, past to present. It’s the through-line that makes any performance unforgettable.

Experience Don Giovanni Like Never Before

Mozart's Don Giovanni: A Rock Opera begins performances this June at The Cutting Room in New York City. Two shows a week through September—twelve weeks to ignite word-of-mouth and let audiences experience something they've never seen—or heard—before.

You’ll witness Giovanni’s final moments not as operatic spectacle, but as human reckoning. You’ll hear Donna Anna’s grief transformed into rock-powered fury. You’ll see characters wrestle with desire, power, and consequence in ways that feel immediate and visceral.

Come see why story matters. And why, in opera—when it’s done right—it always has.

For tickets and updates on Mozart's Don Giovanni: A Rock Opera at The Cutting Room NYC, visit https://ci.ovationtix.com/36944. Follow us for behind-the-scenes rehearsal content and cast interviews.