I haven’t seen the latest ENO marketing about their forthcoming Don Giovanni, but the Evening Standard has made sure that I, together with everyone else who reads free newspapers over other peoples’ shoulders rather than be seen actually holding them, know about it. For those of you who haven’t picked up on it yet, apparently the poster goes: “Don Giovanni. Coming Soon” and a picture of a condom. Lots of people think that the ENO should be above using smutty double entendres and that opera is too Artistic for that.
I actually don’t mind too much. It’s eye catching, moderately amusing and the free newspaper coverage is probably as valuable to ENO as anything. It’s not aimed at the likes of me, but if it gets other people coming, so to speak, so much the better. If they do, I wonder what they will make of the fact that, whatever he may say about Leporello’s wife, Giovanni never gets close. Is there an advertising standards issue here?
Either way, does anyone think it really matters? What I really want to know, is whether this campaign actually translates into more bums on seats and more people actually getting hooked on what ought to be an orgasmic opera.
operanotes 