Westport Country Playhouse Stages Molière’s Comedy “Don Juan” in a World Premiere Translation and Ad

Sex, politics, and religion – nothing is sacred – in Westport Country Playhouse’s world premiere translation and adaption of Molière’s comedy, “Don Juan,” by Brendan Pelsue, directed by Playhouse associate artistic director David Kennedy, from November 5 – 23.

Meet the legendary Don Juan as you’ve never seen him before in this modern-dress production of the satirical, classic comic tale. Wherever he goes, the notorious seducer and antihero leaves behind a trail of broken hearts and society scandals, relying on his trusty sidekick, Sganarelle, to clean up his unruly messes. When an unearthly visitor arrives, Don Juan may finally be forced to confront his wicked ways.

"When I originally proposed that we produce ‘Don Juan,’ I thought 2019 was the perfect time to revive this acerbically comic tale of an undisciplined, thin-skinned narcissist who blazes a path of destruction through the world, upending institutions and social norms, destabilizing everything, offending all decency and morality, and leaving a trail of wreckage in his wake. I can’t ever imagine why," said Kennedy, director.

The title character of Don Juan will be played by Jeffrey Carlson (Broadway’s “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?,” “Tartuffe,” and “Taboo,” for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award; film credits include “Hitch,” “The Killing Floor,” “Plainsong”). Sganarelle, Don Juan’s sidekick, will be played by Bhavesh Patel (Broadway’s “The Nap,” “Present Laughter” opposite Kevin Klein; Lincoln Center Theater’s “War Horse”). Philip Goodwin will portray Don Juan’s father Don Louis (Broadway’s “Tartuffe,” “The School for Scandal,” “The Diary of Anne Frank”).

Other cast members are Jordan Bellow as Don Carlos (New York theater’s “Interior”; regional theater’s “A Raisin in the Sun”; television’s “Gotham”); Paul DeBoy as Mr. Gusman/Statue (Broadway’s “Mamma Mia!”; television’s ““Leviathan”); Carson Elrod as Pierrot/Dimanche (Westport Country Playhouse’s “Bedroom Farce,” “How the Other Half Loves,” and others; Broadway’s “Peter and the Starcatcher”); Suzy Jane Hunt as Dona Elvira (Broadways’ “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Dead Accounts”; television’s “The Americans”); Bobby Roman as Don Alonzo (film credits “The Challenger,” “Tapestry,” “One Night in Brooklyn”);Ariana Venturi as Charlotte (five seasons at Berkshire Theatre Festival; Alya Feinburg in season two of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"); and Claudia Logan as Mathurine/The Ghost (HBO's “Random Acts of Flyness,” “The Deuce”; Netflix's “Tales of the City”).

Playwright Molière (1622-1673) was the leading French comic actor, stage director, and dramatic theoretician of the seventeenth century. Westport Country Playhouse has a modern take on this classic!

Performance schedule is Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Running time is 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission.

For more information and to buy tickets, please visit Westport Country Playhouse's website.