Through April 5, San Diego Opera (SDO) presents a visually arresting new production of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen,” staged by Broadway/regional theatre director Mark Lamos and designed by Tony Award-winner Michael Yeargan. The physical production, including Yeargan’s sets and costumes by Francois St. Aubin, is shared with L’Opera de Montreal and Canadian Opera.
The matching “show curtain” and drop are stunning works of art, and the whole ” with lighting by Robert Wierzel and choreography by Juanita Franco ” is as thrilling as anything seen of late on the Civic Theatre stage.San Diego Opera has presented “Carmen” seven times during its 40-plus years of existence. Nation-wide, the opera ranks number four in the top ten most-produced operas in the past ten years.
A lifetime of opera-going includes many productions, plus large and small screen specials and versions, including Otto Preminger’s 1954 film “Carmen Jones” with Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte, and Peter Brook’s [sic] 1983 “La Tragedie de Carmen.” Thus one possesses quite a storehouse of “Carmen” experience, including Jacque Trussel’s memorable no-holds-barred performance as Don Jose in 1984 at SDO.
One never tires of Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy’s libretto (based on Prosper Merimee), which concerns an obsessive love that results in murder. It’s as timely as today’s headlines and a whole lot less disturbing because of the cultural remove, even though Lamos updates the era slightly to Seville ” or is it Mexico? ” circa 1930.
With a luscious, full-bodied, well-employed voice and a slim figure, Siberian mezzo-soprano Marina Domashenko is as attractive a Carmen as they come. Musically she brings freshness to the role and is especially fetching in her hit tunes, “Habanera” and the “Seguidilla,” in which she entices the virtuous country boy, Don Jose, into a life of free love and crime. Light on her feet, she makes all the right moves, though I am not convinced she has the wanton gypsy in her soul.
As Don Jose, Puerto Rican tenor Cesar Hernandez, who sang Pinkerton in SDO’s 1993 “Madama Butterfly” and Cavaradossi in the 1996 “Tosca,” is bright of voice and reliable. American soprano Barbara Divis, a former member of the San Diego Opera Ensemble familiar from numerous “Opera at the Pops” performances, brings vocal beauty to the role of Micaela, Don Jose’s country sweetheart.
In the vocal excellence department, baritone Malcolm Mackenzie quite steals one’s heart as Escamillo, the bullfighter who wins Carmen’s affections as it becomes apparent to her free-spirited self that the guilt-ridden Don Jose is not a fit consort.
The three principals receive dependable support from Lisa Agazzi as Mercedes, Malinda Haslett as Frasquita, Jeff Mattsey as Dancaire, Beau Palmer as Remendado, James Scott Sikon as Morales, and Wayne Tigges as Zuniga. Seventy-four choristers, including 20 children, and 24 supernumeraries enhance the crowd scenes at Lilas Pastia’s tavern, the mountain conclave of the contrabandiers (what on earth are they doing passing that stuff around?), and the Seville bullring. Karen Keltner conducts San Diego Symphony.
Though it might be too late to snag a ticket ($27-$142) to this attractive and musically dependable production of Bizet’s operatic chestnut, you can try at www.sdopera.com or by calling (619) 533-7000. Remaining performances are 8 p.m. Friday, March 31; 2 p.m. Sunday, April 2; and 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 5.
