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Don Giovanni
Coming to the end of his life, Jonathan Dante, the once great novelist turned Hollywood hack is forced to deal with his other legacies; his failing health and his profoundly dysfunctional family. Jonathan struggles to make sense of his relationship with sons as they play out the drama of their broken lives before his eyes, in a manner that ultimately causes the false choices of all to be revealed. With Don Giovanni Dan Fante has created both a brutal and loving homage to his late father John Fante as well as an invaluable American drama.
127 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 2006
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July 25, 2011
In "Don Giovanni" Jonathan Dante is turning 70. A novelist who sold out to become a screenwriter, Jonathan is now going blind and suffering from diabetes, his life nearing its end. Nevertheless Jonathan is a strong, garrulous, and coarse presence in his family. For his birthday his two sons return home. Bruno Dante, a recovering alcoholic and successful actor, is at a crossroads. His wife Agnes is ready to divorce him and he is unsure of whether to continue work as an actor. His brother, Dick, a gay high school gym teacher, also returns home with problems of his own. The play focuses on the two sons' relationships with their father as they confront one another over the course of an evening and the following morning.
Fante brings back Bruno Dante in this play, the thinly-veiled version of himself and the protagonist of his novels and short stories. It is interesting seeing this character in another setting, this time with a wife and child. Historically it is also interesting to learn about Jonathan Dante, the play's version of Fante's real father and author John Fante. Dan Fante does an excellent job of capturing the dynamics of a family, how family members know exactly what buttons to push to annoy and hurt one another, but who also love one another despite their conflicts and resentments. He has an ear for realistic dialogue and the exchanges between the characters seem genuine. That said, not all that much actually happens in the play. Some truths come out about the characters' problems and decisions are made, but the piece comes across as not all that interesting or compelling and the play seems a rather minor work.
Read Fante's other works before taking a glance at this play, as they are quite entertaining, but this one is for die-hard fans only.
Fante brings back Bruno Dante in this play, the thinly-veiled version of himself and the protagonist of his novels and short stories. It is interesting seeing this character in another setting, this time with a wife and child. Historically it is also interesting to learn about Jonathan Dante, the play's version of Fante's real father and author John Fante. Dan Fante does an excellent job of capturing the dynamics of a family, how family members know exactly what buttons to push to annoy and hurt one another, but who also love one another despite their conflicts and resentments. He has an ear for realistic dialogue and the exchanges between the characters seem genuine. That said, not all that much actually happens in the play. Some truths come out about the characters' problems and decisions are made, but the piece comes across as not all that interesting or compelling and the play seems a rather minor work.
Read Fante's other works before taking a glance at this play, as they are quite entertaining, but this one is for die-hard fans only.
Displaying 1 of 1 review