Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen, it’s fingerlickin’ good! When you ask what’s for dinner, are you ever disappointed to hear fried chicken as the answer? After diminishing crowds for a couple of years (like almost every other opera company in the US, starting with COVID), Virginia Opera revamped this season’s schedule to have broader appeal, and judging by the size of yesterday’s Sunday matinee crowd, it appears to be working. Carmen is one of the top five most popular operas of all time. To make good on their investment, VO turned the reigns over to veteran director Kyle Lang for a classic production and brought in budding star mezzo-soprano Lisa Marie Rogali to play the sassy, sexy lead as well as a bevy of talented young performers to surround her. It worked. VO’s Carmen is a pleasing, thoroughly satisfying production of a perennial favorite.
Carmen (Lisa Marie Rogali), always the center of attention. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
Carmen premiered in 1875 and was not well received in Paris; initially, the music was liked, but the story was viewed as too vulgar for polite society. Sadly, composer Bizet died from heart disease at the age of 36 during Carmen’s initial run, and he never knew of the success he had created. I remember my son saying to me on his first viewing of Carmen that it had too many hit tunes to be an opera. Given that Carmen contains some spoken dialog, it probably technically qualifies as a musical, though the vocals are fully operatic. Bizet did have an extraordinary gift for great tunes. Anyone who has watched television or is a fan of the movies has heard at least excerpts of music from Carmen.
I took a risk on this performance. I invited our granddaughter to go with us as her first opera, without preparing her for the story. She said afterwards she was glad we had not. So, be forewarned:
Spoilers ahead -
After the performance, our son asked me if I liked Carmen and Don José. How could you not like the female and male leads? Well, if you just saw Washington National Opera’s Macbeth, how’d that work out? Carmen is another tragedy brewing. It’s complicated. Initially at least, I liked the pair of lovers. She was spirited and lived life her way, cherishing her freedom, defiant, unwilling to be cowed. He seemed like a nice guy, trying to be a good soldier. In the famous aria “Habanera” she warns men in general, “I might love you. If I do, beware!” He fails to see that as a serious warning. She fails to read Don José properly, the nice guy with a hidden, explosive temper and an ego in which she becomes tragically enmeshed. Carmen causes him to abandon his soldiering and to turn from Micaëla, a young woman from his village who truly loves him; Carmen also leads Don José into a life of crime. She then shifts her affection to the handsome, daring bullfighter, Escamillo, and having enough of Don José’s jealousy, she finally abandons him for Escamillo. Don José confronts her outside the bullfighting stadium in one last attempt to get her back and failing that, kills her. So, do I like the two lead characters? For opera, it depends on who is singing the roles.
Officer Zuniga (Jeremy Harr) seeks to draw Carmen (Lisa Marie Rogali) to him while a jealous Don José (Zach Borichevsky) looks on. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
In this production, I liked Carmen and Don José a lot. Carmen is one of the coveted lead roles for a mezzo-soprano, and if you want to know what a mezzo-soprano is and what she can do, go hear this performance. The young, multi-award winner, Lisa Marie Rogali has a beautiful instrument, lovely lows that can soar thrillingly into the soprano range. I felt that her excellent acting skills, honed in musicals such as the Sound of Music as well as operas, allowed her to not only hit the notes, but to play with them in a seductive manner like a Carmen might do. I was captivated. How do you solve a problem like Maria…er Carmen? At first, I thought Don José played by international star tenor Zach Borichevsky was too weak a presence to play the part, but like Carmen, I failed to read him correctly. Mr. Borichevsky has a high-pitched tenor voice that is beautifully expressive in love and anger. Their duets were lovely, and over the course of the performance, even I became afraid of him. Soprano Sarah Tucker sang the role of Micaëla with a sympathetic gentleness. Her lovely rendition of the aria expressing her fear as she ventured into the mountain hideout to make one last attempt to redeem Don José was a highlight. Baritone Rolfe Dauz sang the role of the bullfighter Escamillo with swagger in a dashing manner and gave us a good “Toreador Song”.
The dashing bull fighter Escamillo (Rolfe Dauz) draws admiring glances from the females in the tavern. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
The supporting cast added admirably to the drama and singing; I’ll mention a few. The duet between Carmen’s girlfriends Frasquita played by soprano Chase Sanders and Mercédès played by mezzo-soprano Aria Minasianusing, using fortune telling cards to foreshadow their future, was an amusing delight that turns dark, very dark. Bass Jeremy Harr, who has appeared several times in local productions, was a dislikable, arrogant officer Zuniga who incurs Don José’s rage with his attempts to seduce Carmen.
One highlight of Carmen is always Bizet’s fantastic music, so melodic and pleasing, so many take home, hummable tunes. The music was delivered with zest and great beauty by the Virginia Symphony under the direction of Associate Conductor Brandon Eldredge; bravi! I loved the musical interludes between acts featuring solo instruments playing mood setting toe tapping melodies, then meshing with the full orchestra to create a lush sound. No wonder this is such a popular opera. Mr. Eldredge is also the Chorus Master for Virginia Opera and the singing of the chorus and their engagement in the action on stage was gorgeous. Kudos to all.
Carmen’s (Lisa Marie Rogali) allure begins to take control of Don José (Zach Borichevsky). Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
The set, costumes, and lighting for this classic production taking place in early nineteenth century Seville were pleasing and effective; kudos to Scenic Designer Steven C. Kemp, Costume Designer Howard Kaplan, Wigs and Make-up Designer Elyse Messick, and Lighting Designer Driscoll Otto. The action overall was well paced and the motivations of the characters was clear. There were a lot of people on stage for several of the scenes with the solo characters and chorus members serving as townspeople, soldiers, and outlaws. At first, I thought the action on stage seemed a little too programmed, but soon everything took on a natural flow. Special kudos to Director Lang for a highly effective denouement, the final scene. I felt fear and foreboding as the crowd outside the bullring stadium slowly dissipated, leaving Carmen alone with Don José. Well done, all around.
As an opera going veteran, I found this a highly enjoyable Carmen. How did my granddaughter like her first opera? Afterwards she said it was great; it went by so quickly, and she seems ready to take on another one. She was impressed by the strength of the voices and was glad I had not warned her about the ending. Whew!
The Fan Experience: Virginia Opera scheduled performances for Carmen on November 8, 10 in Norfolk; on November 16, 17 in Fairfax; and on November 22, 24 in Richmond. The opera is sung in French with English supertitles. The performance lasted about 2 hours and 45 minutes with a 25-minute intermission. An informative pre-opera talk is given 45 min prior to each performance. Tickets for remaining performances can be accessed through this link.
I am compelled to add this note: if you are an endangered spouse or girlfriend, seek help. My mother was a victim of lethal domestic violence when I was a child. Domestic violence remains a serious problem in the U.S. today.