David Tennant: 'I stay in character as Don Juan for my curtain call'

Don Juan in Soho star David Tennant enjoys playing the depraved lothario so much he even stays in character for his curtain call.

The actor playfully shoved aside his co-star Adrian Scarborough, who plays his devoted servant Stan, to accept a standing ovation at the Wyndham’s Theatre last night.

Tennant told the Standard said: “There are two curtain calls so I get to do one as Don Juan and one as me which I quite like.

“He has a lot less inhibitions than I have so it’s quite nice to enjoy that for a few seconds longer.”

Patrick Marber’s update of the classic tale stars Tennant as an idle aristocrat chasing women, drugs and drink across London leaving a trail of broken hearts and broken lives behind him as he does.

Tennant said the role, memorably described on stage as the “Dalai Lama of debauchery”, was “delicious”.

He said: “I love Patrick Marber’s language, I love that I get to work with Adrian who is the most fantastic person to be on stage with.

“I haven’t done a play that isn’t Shakespeare for 14 years and I adore Shakespeare, I feel like it is in my DNA, but to do something this contemporary and that has this bite and extraordinary language I just love it.”

The play is updated constantly to keep it topical with references to Donald Trump and Prince George’s schooling in the script.

Tennant said: “We discuss what has happened and what’s around and obviously it has to relate back to Don Juan and his world view.

“He has got this fury about the hypocrisy of the world he is in and the world just keeps presenting itself with fresh material so we can’t really resist.”