This was a pleasant surprise. The idea of this society choosing Don Giovanni for its first off-campus venture had seemed courageous, if not actually insane. It is Mozart’s most problematic opera. Even Glyndebourne has trouble with it.

But Saturday’s one-night stand must be counted a success, within obvious limits. The setting was London’s East End, which had little relevance to the “plot”, sung in Jeremy Sams’s mildly flippant paraphrase. It allowed the costume budget to remain at zero. Everyone wore street gear, apart from the odd party frock.

Olly Wood’s permanent set was a seedy playground, with swing, bench and bin-bags fronting graffiti-coated walls and a cityscape backdrop.

Co-directed by William Descrettes and Simone Ibbett-Brown, the show’s biggest problem was their choice of a female voice for Leporello, Giovanni’s sidekick (a bass in the original): Stephanie Wake-Edwards had plenty of amusing moves, but her lightweight mezzo packed no punch. Nice girl, wrong role.

There were some fine voices on display. Jake Muffett sported an engaging baritone and a jaunty air as the Don, always comfortable. Both Eleanor Dann and Eleanor Thompson showed huge potential in the vocally taxing roles of Anna and Elvira.

Richard Pinkstone brought Verdian bravura to his only aria as Ottavio; Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong and Jason White made an attractive coupling as Zerlina and Masetto.

The true star was Alexander Conway, who kept his singers, including an all-girl chorus, in check and a firm hand on his efficient orchestra.