Hey, nothing against rotund opera stars, such as the late Luciano Pavarotti, but it's a lot easier to believe the story of the most famous libertine in literature, the fictional sexy Spaniard Don Juan — Don Giovanni in Italian, the title character of the 1787 Mozart opera — if the baritone singing the role looks like the kind of man you would happily fall into bed with. So it is with smoldering Christopher Schaldenbrand, who recently performed the role in Boston and seduces several maidens in the Lyric Opera's production of Don Giovanni this week; the opera's run ends with a 2 p.m. matinee at the Lyric Theatre (1029 Central, 816-471-7344). At least one Lyric Opera staffer admires Schaldenbrand's physical attributes: "He's about 6 foot 4 and in his early 30s. He has devilish good looks." The devil gets the last laugh in Don Giovanni, of course, when the singing stud is dragged off to hell in the final act. -- Charles Ferruzza
Sat., April 24, 8 p.m.; Wed., April 28, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., April 30, 8 p.m.; Sun., May 2, 2 p.m., 2010
