Eleanor Greenwood

Is Donna Elvira a victim, a romantic, or the most honest person in the room?

I don't think she would see herself as a victim, but I think she genuinely believed her relationship would be long lasting. The Don probably had to woo her a lot in order to win her over in the first place, which may not have been the case with many of his other conquests. In one of the plays the opera is based on, Elvira is a nun at first and he woos her out of the convent, into marriage, only by talking to her through the little chat box in the convent door. So that would have taken a lot of effort and she would have most likely thought he was a very good man. Apart from the challenge of winning over a nun, the Don probably did find something unique and valuable in her, potentially her total acceptance of him, maybe her holiness or strong sense of morality, as he probably didn't understand it, but maybe it was only ever going to last a short time. For her though, a marriage or the idea of marriage would be for life and she is genuinely devastated by him leaving her.

In terms of the question though, it could be possible to say she is all three of those things. Firstly, she is a victim as she has genuinely been abandoned and her rage is rational under the circumstances. Secondly she is sort of romantic as she loves the Don despite his actions, and thirdly she is honest and wants to warn others of his depravity.

What draws you to playing Elvira?

I think she's a very strong person, with lots of passion, who loves the Don more than she loves herself. She has sincere religious beliefs and so her concern for his damnation is real, and her belief is that he should reform his ways and come back to her. Her self worth doesn't depend on him, but he wounds her deeply and she wants to stop him from hurting others in the same way. She is a person with large emotions and she is a whole person who can handle difficulties, express her feelings (quite passionately), whereas he can't express, or doesn't actually have feelings for others.

Maybe in comparison to her, he is not a fully formed person. He attached himself to her for a while but then returned to seeking fulfilment elsewhere.

What do audiences often misunderstand about her?

She isn't just an angry, sad, bitter ex. She's a complex woman who has enough balls to reclaim her right to her husband whether he likes it or not. She won't give up on him entirely, just because he's given up on himself, or fallen away from her, even though she is genuinely hurt by what he is doing.

What about the opera feels most personal to you?

A lot about the opera seems authentic and so it seems to click with me. More specifically, Elvira believes in redemption, forgiveness and decisive love and even if the Don rejects her compassion, she still understands in full, the power of those concepts.

How would you describe Elvira's relationship with Don Giovanni?

For her, the relationship is forever as they are married under God. Even though he may try to leave her, he may betray her and all of those things hurt her immensely, she isn't going anywhere. She tries with all that she is to pull him back from the abyss of his actions. She questions herself as to why she still cares so much for him despite his actions, but she keeps on caring. I think it's possible that he is the only man she's ever been with or loved.

Why do you think audiences still connect to her story?

I mean I'm not sure, but maybe because some men are still exactly the same as they were in Mozart's time, lol! More seriously though, she's a complex person, she comes to realise the Don's flaws but loves him anyway. She's a woman in love and will do all she can to see the Don redeemed.

If Elvira lived today, what would she be like?

It's not entirely from 'today', but there's something about Effie White in Dreamgirls that reminds me of Elvira. They both have fierce determination, passion and they both suffer genuine heartbreak when rejected by the man they love. There is a similar defiance in their reactions that is very human. I can imagine Elvira singing 'And I am telling you, I'm not going!'