I went to The Met: Live in HD broadcast of Bizet’s Carmen at a local Cinemark theater recently. The Metropolitan Opera transmits select live performances in high definition via satellite from its opera house in New York City to movie theaters in the United States and around the world. Promotional photos and video clips for this production of Carmen have shown that the Met decided to modernize the sets, staging, and costumes, so I was intrigued to see whether or not updating this classic opera would effectively tell its story. I don’t think that a classic such as Carmen “needs” to be updated in order to appeal or feel relevant to contemporary audiences. An insightful director and cast can safeguard a classic work’s original elements in ways that are timelessly beautiful and not stale. At the same time, because art is dynamic, a director and cast can successfully re-envision a classic, giving it new details that work as well as the original ones. I approached this re-envisioned Carmen with an open mind, and I largely enjoyed what I saw and heard.
Director Carrie Cracknell relocates Carmen from 1820’s Sevilla, Spain to the Southwestern United States in the present day. Cracknell’s production does not specify where in the Southwestern U.S. the action takes place, but clues suggest that it is somewhere on the U.S. – Mexico border. Female factory workers approach and walk through a heavily guarded chain-link gate to start their shift. They walk past groups of presumably unemployed men who gather daily to harass them and vie for their attention. Similarly, “soldiers” whose uniforms have a shoulder patch that reads “U.S. Patrol” seem to monitor the women’s entry to work. It is unclear what type of factory it is. Program notes state that it is a cigarette factory, staying true to the original opera, but in interviews, the director has explained that it is an arms factory, hence the need for heavy “patrol” outside.
A young woman, Micaëla (soprano Angel Blue), approaches the factory and asks about her love interest, soldier Don José (tenor Piotr Beczała). His colleague Moralès (baritone Benjamin Taylor) informs her that he is not there, but he will arrive shortly at the shift change. Micaëla leaves temporarily, preferring not to wait among the men. When José arrives, Moralès tells him that Micaëla was looking for him. The factory bell rings, and all of the men turn their attention to the women working, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite, a fiery young woman named Carmen (mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina). Carmen emerges from the second floor of the factory and beguiles the men with her charms, expressing that “love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame.” She gives attention to each man in turn, but one man, Don José, ignores her. She tosses him a flower, which he hides when Micaëla returns. Micaëla delivers a letter from José’s mother, which he reads and then almost discards Carmen’s rose. He is interrupted, however, when a fight breaks out inside the factory between Carmen and another worker. His superiors instruct José to lock Carmen up, but once he is alone with her, she charms him into letting her get away. He is arrested in her place.
Two months pass. Carmen, her friends, and a group of locals have gathered to party in the cargo hold of a semi truck. Carmen learns that José has been released from custody. Escamillo (bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen), a bullfighter in the original opera but a rodeo bull rider in the updated version, passes on the freeway with his entourage. They stop, allowing Escamillo to brag to the partygoers about his profession, and he flirts with Carmen, who tells him that she is involved with someone else. The party ends, leaving Carmen with her friends and two smugglers. It is unclear at this point what scheme the smugglers are involved in, but they try to recruit the women to help them. Carmen’s friends are willing, but Carmen insists on staying behind because she is in love. José comes into view, and he and Carmen are left at an abandoned gas station. Carmen provokes José’s jealousy by telling him that she danced for one of his superiors while he was away, but she makes it up to him with a private dance now. A bugle in the distance interrupts them, and José asserts that he must return to duty. Carmen is enraged that José would choose his job over her. She pleads with him to pursue a free-spirited life with her. He initially refuses, but he then finds himself having no choice but to follow her after an altercation with his superior.
The smugglers’ truck crashes at a high mountain pass, and the smugglers remove boxes of guns to transport them across the border. Carmen and José argue. She tells him that she no longer loves him and that he should return to his mother. Carmen’s friends turn cards to tell each other’s fortunes, and they see love and money for themselves. Carmen joins them and turns a card that hauntingly spells death for herself and José. Micaëla arrives to meet the woman who turned José into a criminal and to plead with him to return to his mother who is now dying. Escamillo also arrives, searching for Carmen. He encounters José, and the two men fight. The smugglers break up the fight, and in a grand gesture, Escamillo invites everyone, particularly Carmen, to attend his next rodeo.
A noisy crowd gathers in a rodeo arena, and Carmen arrives on Escamillo’s arm, surrounded by his entourage. Carmen’s friends warn her that a jealous José is close by watching her. Undeterred, Carmen waits by the entrance as fans enter the arena. José emerges and pleads with Carmen to forget the past and start a new life with him. She explains that their relationship is over, asserting that she has always been a free spirit and will remain so until she dies. As the crowd cheers Escamillo, José repeatedly insists that Carmen take him back, refusing to accept her answer. Their confrontation becomes physical, ending when José delivers Carmen a fatal blow.
The leading artists in this production of Carmen complemented each other well, and they drew me in with strong, natural portrayals of their characters that made Carmen, Micaëla, Don José, and Escamillo believable and real. Each artist sang with a full, rich voice and a mellow tone that I really enjoyed, and each one moved with distinct gestures that brought his or her character to life.
- Aigul Akhmetshina is no stranger to the role of Carmen, having sung this part several times since she first sang it in London at age 21. This current production, at age 27, marked her Metropolitan Opera debut. She played Carmen as a tough, bad girl who was as fierce as she was flirtatious. She was a ride-or-die homegirl who balanced loyalty to her friends with a stubborn desire to maintain her own freedom. She would protect herself if needed, keeping a blade tucked in her boot. I loved the depth and dimension Akhmetshina brought to the role. Her singing of the famous aria “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” (Habanera) was a notable highlight as she emphasized each phrase with calculated, deliberate pacing that matched her seductive walk among the men in front of the factory. Similarly, she embellished “Près des remparts de Seville” with beautiful tremolos.
- A foil to Akhmetshina’s tough Carmen, Angel Blue portrayed Micaëla as sweet and virtuous, initially timid, but growing in personal strength and conviction when she had to confront Don José and Carmen at the smugglers’ crash site. Angel Blue’s voice was magnificent, contrasting warm lower notes with crystal clear high notes. I particularly enjoyed her singing of Micaëla’s aria in Act III.
- Piotr Beczała sang the role of Don José with great passion and intensity, balancing the power in his voice with subtle tenderness at times. I really loved the tone of his voice throughout his performance. His singing of “La fleur que tu m’avais jetée” in Act II and then the energy he brought to the final scene demonstrated his versatility.
- Kyle Ketelsen arrived with great swagger singing the role of Escamillo. Ketelsen imbued his character with the confidence proper to a celebrity basking in the admiration of his fans. I loved his arrival in a red convertible, a nod to a matador’s use of a red cape. His voice was rich and deep, handling the famous Toreador song well.
Transferring the action from Spain to a region of the United States with Spanish influence worked because there were enough similar elements of character, setting, and plot to keep the story plausible. Updating the time frame from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century also was effective because the characters and their conflicts seemed recognizable, particularly for audience members from the United States. The characters easily could have been people from our own communities or workplaces. That created empathy for their desires and the drama occurring among them. Those elements combined with the singers’ portrayals of their characters created a worthy rendition of Bizet’s classic.
Where can you see more from The Met?
Opera enthusiasts who live outside the New York City area can still enjoy The Metropolitan Opera’s programming in a couple of different ways.
- New productions are available as HD broadcasts in movie theaters around the United States and the world. Check Fathom Events for upcoming dates, locations, and times in your area.
- Previously recorded productions are available online through Met on Demand, a subscription service that begins with a seven-day free trial.
What is coming up?
I am looking forward to Ballet West’s production of Swan Lake, which runs February 9-17, 2024. I will be there on opening night. Click here for information and tickets. Stay tuned for my review!
The Good Life 