Tragedie of Carmen

Opera of fated gypsy at Tusten Theatre

By PATRICIA M. AAKRE

There are three reasons to go and see this production of Carmen. First, the orchestra. Two pianists, Don Fresi, the director, and Judith Schaaf, played expertly and passionately. The keyboards, thanks to technology, are not limited to the sound of piano, but approximate the call of a bugle, wind instruments, and drums, among others. Next, the singing is glorious, beginning with the opening duet between Christina Arthas, a lovely Micaela, and Marshall Cooper as Jose. Cooper and Antonio Delgadilla (Escamillo), when facing off, are brilliant together. And finally, Carol Diefenbach as Carmen is great. When her final scene comes, you realize how much every scene depends on her, because without her, there is no opera.

The supporting cast play their parts with aplomb. Oliver King, with a simple gesture as Zuniga in the opening scenes, dismisses Carmen’s fortunetelling, and differentiates his world-weary character from Don Jose’s easily fooled soldier. Nick Mencia, as Lias Pastia, is a bright young talent, delivering his lines as the tavern keeper with an exhausted feeling in keeping with the rest of the down to earth characters.

In this stripped-down version of the usual four-act opera, first produced by Peter Brook in the early 1980’s, there is little stagecraft. A tree stump indicates a campsite, a table and chairs make a tavern, and bordering flowers suggest the town of Seville. The lighting is artful and effective. Nothing gets in the way of the nonstop action—in every scene, there is the threat of the knife.

The opera is performed in four scenes with no intermission. Ron DeFesi gave a charming introduction on opening night, providing a history of the opera, and this particular version of it, which is exceedingly spare. Audiences were originally shocked by Carmen, a truly amoral woman. Or is she simply a playful sort? She plays with cards, she plays with the tambourine, she plays with her lovers and the law. But when she plays with fate, the tension builds and soon familiar notes sound as Carmen checks the tarot death card over and over. For those raised on the nonstop action of music videos, Carmen will not disappoint. There is murder, and promiscuity. For those who simply love the Georges Bizet score, and the singing, this production loses nothing by its shorter, one hour and forty minute length.