Conversely, José shows weakness of character by numbly chasing an impossible dream. It’s hard to sympathize with her because she invites conflict by constantly crossing the line with peers, lovers, and authorities. Carmen’s pride and arrogant willfulness prime her for a fall. The actions of both lead characters reveal deep flaws and self-inflicted wounds. With Carmen on the run and José disgraced, they join a band of smugglers, and their destinies spiral downward.įor those drama devotees who argue that fiction needs characters that the observer can empathize with, this work may defy that dictum. When arrested for instigating a fight, she induces the fawning soldier Don José to let her escape, for which he receives time in the guardhouse. But her fiery temperament lands her in trouble. San Francisco Opera’s current production of this classic pleases the eye and the ear.Ĭarmen is a cigarette factory worker whose sultry self confidence and independence set her apart. What’s more, a seductive heroine, a sacrificial suitor, and a love triangle lead inexorably to a gripping and tragic conclusion.
And what’s not to lirn ke? Its strikingly original (yet selectively adapted) music captures the sense of its locale as few other operas. Perennially among the most performed operas worldwide, aficionados and novices alike support its popularity.
Cory Weaver photo.įew operas in the catalogue claim the staying power of Georges Bizet’s Carmen. The sight of the singers performing in, on and around the iconic and beautifully weathered 123s under the massive shadow of the Osborne bull was powerful – and successful.Matthew Polenzani as Don José, J’Nai Bridges as Carmen. A total of six 123s – including a 300CD with its roof removed – mingled on the stage with the chorus and title star Ginger Costa-Jackson. These icons were front and center during the North American debut of Bieto’s shortened Carmen at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera. Both were ubiquitous to the area: He chose the towering roadside Bull profile billboards from the Osborne sherry concern of the ’50s and…the Mercedes-Benz 123 series diesels.Īccording to the LA Times’ Mark Swed it was an “evening of powerful, illuminating theater. When Catalan opera director Calixto Bieto visited Spain for inspiration for his modern interpretation of Bizet’s classic – and numbingly long – Carmen he came away with some very strong visual cues that he would integrate into the piece.
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