David Tennant was the obvious reason for going to see Don Juan in Soho. I had seen him on stage a couple of times before, in two very different Shakespeare plays, and was pleased to have the opportunity to see him again, even knowing nothing about the play. My eagerness translated into a better seat than one that I would normally go for, Royal Circle A6 (the tier below my usual) at a price, £60, getting towards my upper limit.
Don Juan in Soho was a telling of the Spanish story that had been told many times and in many ways before. It was best known to me as Mozart's Don Giovanni. This was a contemporary Don Juan in a play from 2006.
The play had been updated a little for this production and an anti-Trump line got one of the best laughs of the evening; challenged over his womanising (3 a day for thirty years) Don explained that he loved woman and did not prey on them, "I am not a rapist. I don't grab pussy".
We followed Don Juan as he romped through his hedonistic life and skillfully deflected obstacles like an abandoned wife and her angry family. He was having a lot of fun and David Tennant skipped and bounced around the stage in obvious delight. He was at the centre of the play (obviously) and he commanded that space. It was a sparkling performance.
It was not all fun and frolics and Don Juan faced a dark end which he faced with the same bravado and flair as he faced everything else.
Don Juan was a reasonable play, nothing more and nothing less, and it became worth the price of the ticket thanks to David Tennant's sparkling performance.
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