“Love, love, love, that we always talk about,” sings Mouloudji. We may think we’ve covered everything on the subject, but love keeps coming back. Like the thrill of a stolen kiss…
Among the many characters in the repertoire who have unleashed amorous passions, for better or for worse, Don Juan is the one who has inspired the most artists, for centuries. In 2003, the French singer-songwriter Félix Gray had the idea of making a record and a musical show around the beautiful myth. Based on the work of an author from the Spanish Golden Age, Tirso de Molina. It is he who invented, before Molière and Mozart, this archetype of the young libertine, handsome, seductive, cruel and… so alone.
Then, Félix Gray asked Gilles Maheu, who had just come up Notre Dame de Paristo sign the staging of the show. More than 600,000 spectators later, Don Juan returns to charm the local public. With a summer tour in three cities in Quebec and Ottawa. Mr. Gray has even found a new Don Juan, to succeed Jean-François Breau (too busy to commit to several months of touring) with Gian Marco Schiaretti. The actor was also part of the tour of Notre Dame de Paris in 2022.
Discovered at 17 by Richard Cocciante, to play in his musical version of Romeo and Juliet in Italy, Gian Marco Schiaretti is “a true interpreter of musicals internationally,” according to Gilles Maheu. “He plays well, sings well, moves well and speaks six languages,” confided the director, while presenting his new cast to the media last Thursday at Usine C.
The new distribution of Don Juan
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Gian Marco Schiaretti plays the title role, succeeding Jean-François Breau, who created the role in 2004.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Cindy Daniel plays Maria, the ingenue in love who will suffer Don Juan’s curse by falling into his arms.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Philippe Berghella plays Raphael, Don Juan’s eternal rival.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Roxane Filion plays Isabel, Don Juan’s old flame.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Alyzée Lalande plays Elvira, a former conquest, jealous of Don Juan’s new love for Maria.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Robert Marien plays Don Luis, Don Juan’s father. He is seen here alongside Roxane Filion.
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From Tarzan to Don Juan
In fact, Schiaretti has been in several musicals around the world: Evita, West Side Story And… Tarzan, a Disney Broadway production, with melodies by Phil Collins. “It’s fascinating to play multiple roles and show different sides of yourself each time. It’s an incredible journey that I’ve been on for 20 years in the world of musicals,” the actor sums up to The Press.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Don Juan also features around fifteen dancers, in addition to three flamenco musicians.
For Don Juan, his challenge is to embody the mythical character without falling into the stereotypes of the inveterate seducer. “Don Juan is not a brute,” he says. “He has a flaw in him. A dark side. He suffered when he was younger. He escapes into pleasure, into enjoyment.”
What interests me is to play it with several colors, nuances, and to transform myself over the course of the performance. We must not have the impression of knowing him when he arrives on stage.
Gian Marco Schiaretti, actor
Before this tour in Quebec, the troupe presented Don Juan in French in Shanghai and in some cities in China and Taiwan during the winter: “The atmosphere was extraordinary,” says the actor. “The enthusiasm of the Chinese public has surpassed our expectations. French-language musicals touch the Chinese public. More than musicals English speakers. Because of the modernity, the music, the dramaturgy, and our Latin side, Asian spectators are very seduced when discovering our shows.
The face of employment
The Italian actor likes to play dark and handsome men. And people often talk to him about his beauty. “But Felix Gray didn’t choose me for my beauty,” he replies. “I dare to believe that he offered me the role for my talent, my sensitivity, my openness. Of course, beauty is a quality. I take care of myself. I play sports. But true seduction is that of the mind, it’s passion, charisma, warmth, the sun (the solarity). Everything that makes us lean towards life. If you just play with your physicality, you fall into the cliché. And you miss the depth of the character.
Don Juanfrom July 31 to August 3, at the NAC in Ottawa; from August 7 to 24, at the Wilfrid-Pelletier Hall at Place des Arts in Montreal; from August 27 to September 8, at the Grand Théâtre de Québec; from September 11 to 14, at the Cogeco Amphitheatre in Trois-Rivières.
Read ” Don Juan in time…and around the world”
Visit the show website
Don Juan
Directed by Gilles Maheu
With Gian Marco Schiaretti, Olivier Dion, Roxane Filion, Cindy Daniel, Philippe Berghella, Alyzée Lalande and Robert Marien