Carmen | His Majesty’s Theatre | Until July 28th July | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Carmen is one of opera’s most loved works. Georges Bizet’s scandalous work is filled with tunes that everybody knows – even if you’ve never seen the work performed.
The opera’s most loved songs Habanera: L’amour est un oiseau rebelle and the Toreador song have pervaded every part of our culture, they are in cartoons, TV commercials (and bizarrely as I type this review I can hear it playing in the background of a cooking show that my partner is watching in the next room).
The familiarity of the material, it’s energetic and rousing melodies, and visually rich subject matter put Carmen in a pole position when it comes to the race of the popular operas, but this production excels because of the whole package it delivers; brilliant performances, creative staging and modern day relevance.
The opening moments of director Lindy Hume’s work is bold and dramatic – setting the tone for what lies ahead. The stage is a town square between the guard’s outpost and the cigarette factory. The stage is deep, from the darkness comes a large crowd, they fill the stage as the energetic overture plays.
A man lights a cigarette and smokes it – defiantly. The rousing overture plays, the characters on stage stand boldly, only moving slightly. The music plays and he continues to smoke the cigarette.
I’m not sure if this opening moment was in the original staging of the work when Hume first created this production for the WA Opera many years ago, but it comes across as a beautiful ‘fuck you’ moment to funding bodies who derailed a production of the work a few years ago. They argued that any depiction of smoking glamorised the practice and increased health risks. It is a powerful, dramatic and captivating opening.
The production is filled with great performances from Milijana Nikolic (pictured) in the starring role of Carmen, a woman who is forthright and knows what she wants. In some versions Carmen is portrayed as a seductress, the ultimate femme-fatale, but here she is a woman in control of her destiny. A welcome portrayal in an art form where women are often portrayed as down-trodden victims of circumstance.
Carmen tells the story of a woman who has various suitors throughout her life. As one love fades, another grows, but Don José the man she falls out of love with struggles with the sacrifices he made for a woman whose love was not sustained, leading to tragic consequences.
Paul O’Neill does a fine job as Don José, James Clayton is excellent as bullfighter Escamillo and Emma Pearson is captivating as village girl Michaëla. Rebecca Castellini and Fleuranne Brockway are in fine form as gypsy women Fransquita and Mercédès, and Paull-Anthony Keightley delivers a solid performance as soldier Zuniga.
The cast of young performers playing the street urchins are a highlight. Their performance early on in the piece is fun and vibrant. Quite a few of the young boys are obviously played by girls – despite hiding their hair under caps, they stand like girls – thrusting one hip forward. Maybe it would just have been more realistic to just include some girl street urchins.
Dan Potra’s set for the Tobacco Factory is a series of metal scaffold staircases, from which Carmen first appears, the performance of the Habanera among the factory working women reminiscent of Paula Abdul’s Cold Hearted video which was a homage to Bob Fosse.
This is just one of many highlights of the production, Emma Pearson’s performance of C’est les contrabandiers le refuge ordinaire is another, and James Clayton’s entrance with the Toreador Song was also exceptional. The crowd scenes at the bullfight were brilliant.
Throughout the production the combination of stunning sets, creative choreography, effective costuming and clever direction make this an opera experience to rave about.
Most importantly Lindy Hume has shaped the work to make the most of the characters. It’s previously been called “the feminist Carmen” and in these times when we still struggle to understand domestic violence and oppression of women, this production is even more relevant and thought-provoking.
Amazing performances, brilliant music, and a serious message behind it all – a winning combination. If it wasn’t sold out I’d go buy a ticket to watch it again.
Graeme Watson
All performances of Carmen are sold-out. Don’t miss out on the WA Operas’s next production Don Ginovanni – tickets are on sale now.
