WRITE A REVIEW: Having had the opportunity to see Carmen at Opera Philadelphia, tell us what you thought. Be as detailed in your response as possible. Consider using "Wring a Review of the Opera" found of p.51 of your student guide to help organize your thoughts. We will accept all reviews, positive or negative! We simply ask that you thoroughly defend your opinion. In your response consider commenting on the story, the sets, the characters, the music, and more.
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Steven Humes
Opera Philadelphia
Education Manager
Comments
Philadelphia Virtual Academy
Grade 12
The performance of Carmen was definitely well performed in all areas, including: voices, acting, and setting. Unlike other performances, it really brought out the originally intended scandalous nature of the protagonist --which is a difficult accomplishment in modern day-- whose lust for freedom's chases resulted in a tragic fate at the hands of a jealous man who could not accept being another conquered chase. (Oh, how I wish I could have watched Carmen being performed for the first time, to an audience so quick to draw offense from such a woman!)
The opera voices were beautiful and clear. In particular, the duets were magnificently melodious, the harmonies adding depth and feeling along with the acting. Alongside the voices, the orchestral pieces were imposing to the performance! The instrumentals were the key to introducing new tones, senses, and even settings. The orchestra beautifully introduced new sets after each intermission, helping the performance flow from joy, to lust, to fright, then death.
The sets individually added life to the performance of Carmen! From a stage separating a cigarette factory and the town with prison-like bars, to a secluded and abandoned building acting as the smugglers' mountain hideaway, to the outside of a beloved bullfighter's arena! Each set drew the audience into the performance, seemingly coming to life with different feelings and climates.
Lastly, the performance itself --the acting-- was engaging and smooth throughout. Reading through the Carmen script, I knew of the plot, however, while watching the live performance of Carmen on stage, I finally began to see more into each character's significance. In particular, Jose's --the man who is conquered by Carmen, then left with envy as she loses interest and lusts after another-- actor amazingly captured his character's jealousy and rage, but most importantly --and I did not initially notice this with the script-- his obsession with Carmen after he so immediately falls for her. It is truly as if he were put under her spell! All in all, the acting and performance was capturing throughout every main character.
I would definitely recommend watching this play to anyone looking for a performance full of lust, stubborn dramatics, power, and feminism. If anything should change or be improved, I would recommend finding a method to further perceive Carmen, the protagonist, as lustful as she is made out to be through the plot's written summaries, keeping in mind she is a woman who loves to control everything in her life: work, men, stubborn choices that may or may not lead to her doom! In the performance, the acting momentarily made it seem as if Escamillo, the matador she claims to love after Jose, controlled Carmen's feelings and choices, though in the end her refusal to change her ways in exchange for her life really brought the reigns back into Carmen's fateful hands.