Whether you’re a fan of French composer Georges Bizet’s Carmen, at more than three hours in length, or a novice to opera, you’re sure to appreciate the upcoming production of La Tragédie de Carmen at Opera in the Heights, the final offering of its 2014-15 season.
“In 1983, a British director, Peter Brook, stripped away all of the nonessential elements and made it more succinct,” explained Lynda Keith McKnight, OH stage director. “He stripped it down to four main people and left all of the music intact.”
This dark tale of love and jealousy, ending in tragedy and death, retains the well-known musical moments from the original opera: femme fatale Carmen’s “Seguidilla” and “Habanera,” bullfighter Escamillo’s “Toreador Song” and naive soldier Don José’s “Flower Song.” This will be the second OH production for conductor Dr. Eiki Isomura.
“It’s a very intense 80 minutes. This will appeal to modern audiences — it’s very visceral. It has amazing fight work,” McKnight said, praising the choreography of stage combat coordinator Josh Morrison. “It’s like an action movie at times; it almost takes my breath away.”
“Our set designer, Jodi Bobrovsky, has created an amazing Picasso mural on the curved back wall,” said McKnight, adding that OH has set the play in the era of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). “It’s stunning. The set itself is very minimalist, very arresting. It’s something that ties into the story.”
Due to its shortened length and nonstop action, McKnight recommended this production as a great first opera. Although it’s in French, there are English surtitles above the stage. Fans of Bizet’s original four-act Carmen, which intersperses dialogue with musical numbers, will be able to “see things through a fresh lens.”
Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights. For information, call 713-861-5503 or visit operaintheheights.org. $13 to $63.
Sundays, 2 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Thu., March 26, 7:30 p.m. Starts: March 20. Continues through March 29, 2015
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2015.
