In the streets of 19th-century Seville, Spain, gypsy girl Carmen seduces Cpl. Don Jose. From the moment she, in red, layered skirts with a shawl and fan, lies across his desk and tosses a rose his way, he is smitten.
IU Opera’s production of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” will open Friday.
Carmen’s love affairs only last a month or so at a time, and despite her flighty personality, she is a businesswoman, said Patricia Illera, a first year master’s student who plays Carmen in the upcoming production.
“She knows how to move people. She knows how to manipulate everyone to get whatever she wants,” Illera said. “Maybe that’s a little cold, but it’s very modern for her time. She’s free and independent. She’s strong.”
This take on femininity, which was considered scandalous in Bizet’s time, keeps the story relevant today, Illera said. The feelings that are portrayed onstage are real feelings that remain unchanged by time.
Despite the name of the show, much of the plot is driven by the development of Don Jose’s character, said Justin Stolz, a first year performance diploma student who plays Don Jose.
“It’s an emotional rollercoaster for him,” Stolz said. “She gets bored of him and tosses him aside, which makes him go crazy. Everyone is brought on his journey and sees how such an innocent soul can deteriorate so quickly.”
While there are deeply emotional songs, the music of “Carmen” also contains some of the most well-known operatic arias in history, director Jeffrey Buchman said.
“It’s lyric, it’s sexy, it’s passionate, it really has everything.” Buchman said. “It’s got anger and rage in it, it’s got deep emotion and it also has exhilarating tunes that are so easily accessible that many people already know the tunes. They’re just so memorable, they stick in your brain.”
The popular melodies like “Habanera” and “Toreador Song” make “Carmen” the perfect choice for novice opera-goers, Illera said. The intense, fast-moving plot and catchy music allow the audience to understand the action even without the surtitles translated from French.
The choreography for the show, done by Buchman’s wife Rosa Mercedes, adds another layer of authenticity, she said. Mercedes, who is from Spain, taught the singers the basics of flamenco to better portray their roles as gypsies.
“What I try to give the singers is a vocabulary where they can move and understand the body language of the roles they play,” Mercedes said.
Mercedes has been working with the singers for barely three weeks. Some of them had never danced before in their lives, she said.
Despite the short amount of time available, the singers have successfully grasped the fundamental movements essential to the dance, Mercedes said.
“It’s a feeling, it’s a posture, it’s lots of hand movement and some footwork,” Mercedes said. “It’s the way they clap, and how to embrace rhythms they’re not used to. For the ladies it’s beautiful handwork, rotation of the wrists and fingers that look like birds. It’s a very complex and passionate art.”
The choreography, the costumes, the music and the emotion behind it all come together to tell an intense story of seduction and betrayal, Illera said.
The most compelling aspect is the story of pursuing darker temptations, Buchman said.
“You can easily get locked into the story and the music and the drama,” Buchman said. “You take away an idea of passion and deep love beyond what we normally admit exists in our life.”
