Yannis 

Thavoris

Stage 

Design

Mozart Don Giovanni Opera Holland Park, July 2010 Director Stephen Barlow Lighting Colin Grenfell

Reviews

... terrific new staging... Designer Yannis Thavoris ingeniously complements the handsomely restored façade and leaded windows of the original house with dark wood panelled surfaces, quickly spiriting us from mansion to hotel to tavern. (Independent)


The self-absorption of this anti-hero is strikingly portrayed in the gallery of paintings – all of the man himself, all identical – that line his world. At the opera’s climax these portraits are cleverly subverted by Barlow and his designer, Yannis Thavoris, in a psychologically thrilling encounter with the Stone Guest (the ghost of the Commendatore, father of Don Giovanni’s most devout conquest, Donna Anna) over which I shall draw a veil, for fear of spoiling anyone’s enjoyment. Suffice to say that it’s a chilling moment of schizoid retribution, and it crowns a particularly rich visual interpretation of Mozart’s opera. (WhatsOnStage.com)


The costumes and sets were beautifully done, for which plaudits should be handed to Yannis Thavoris. (Seen and Heard International)


... a truly innovative staging... (Bloomberg.com)


Opera Holland Park’s new production of “Don Giovanni” is fun, intelligent, and laden with enough new ideas to surprise and delight even those who have seen the opera dozens of time. (ClassicalSource.com)


Designer Yannis Thavoris uses the ancient terrace of Holland Park House and its long, narrow performance space with imagination, wood-panelled lengths evoking interior and exterior settings with wit and aplomb. (The Stage)


This is one of the best productions of the Don I’ve seen, with neat directorial ideas, an effective set and, on the whole, good singing... all the more clever for being totally unexpected. (Opera Britannia)