Betrayal. Deceit. Deception. These words recur in Da Ponte’s libretto for Don Giovanni and, in Scottish Opera’s revival of Sir Thomas Allen’s production, are acted out in Simon Higlett’s 18th century Venice of dark corners and doorways.

There is also an ambiguity at the heart of it. Do we really believe Donna Anna’s account to her betrothed – like is she really going to tell him, if she fancied the Don? Does the Don mean to kill the Commendatore, or is it just an unlucky thrust? As for Donna Elvira, it is quite a journey for a lone woman (with maid) from Burgos to Venice, and how did she know he was in Venice anyway?

Whether it works or not, depends on the casting of the Don. He has to be youngish, else it is all too sleasy, but old enough that he really should know better and start thinking – as Leporello clearly is – about settling down. As such, Roland Wood is just right, playing the role with plenty of swagger but never quite tipping into entitled arrogance. His voice occasionally has a rasping edge, which reminds us he is a Don and used to being obeyed, as well as seductive mellifluousness and relaxed conversational asides. He is double-act buddies with Leporello (Zachary Altman), bringing out the humour in this dramma giocosa.

Altman plays it light. The Catalogue song is deftly done, and he hams up his impersonation of the Don, while his employer hides within his cloak. Even over supper, awaiting the Don’s guest, his shared experience with the Don, a greatest hits compilation, is warmly portrayed.

While Donna Anna’s true feelings about the Don may be ambiguous, Don Ottavio’s are not. As Pablo Bemsch clearly displays, it’s all about him, demanding that Anna marries him within minutes of her father’s death. His answer to everything is ‘Marry me’. Hye-Youn Lee’s Anna is, to say the least, conflicted. We may even suspect that the mourning period for her father’s death is quite convenient, as it justifies her keeping Ottavio at a distance. Perhaps she did not expect vengeance to strike Don Giovanni quite as quickly as it did. As for Zerlina, Lea Shaw makes her both flattered by the Don’s attention, who is more appreciative than Masetto (Emyr Wyn Jones), and frightened when the flirtation goes further than she intended. Wyn Jones is a sturdy, forthright peasant, unlikely to give Zerlina a moment’s worry.

The Commendatore requires presence and a certain stoniness. Keel Watson supplies both, with a voice to spook Leporello, far less the audience.

Then there is Donna Elvira. Kitty Whately is superb, ranging through the emotions and keeping the audience in doubt as to what they really are.

The punch line only works if it is unexpected – even if we all know what it is. The cast and orchestra, conducted by Stuart Stratford, maintain a lightheartedness till that moment when Elvira screams, and it all goes strange.

Betrayal. Deceit. Deception. As they join in the final chorus, it is clear that the women have betrayed and deceived themselves, as much as they may have been betrayed and deceived by the Don.