Carmen@LA Opera 10.29.26
A new production of Carmen has come upon Angelenos, with not only new décor, but Domingo Hindoyan making his conducting debut and director Thaddeus Strassberger adding a hefty half hour to the show with extra dialogue, dancing and even a liturgical procession. The décor itself was a kind of neo gothic, with lots of black,...
A new production of Carmen has come upon Angelenos, with not only new décor, but Domingo Hindoyan making his conducting debut and director Thaddeus Strassberger adding a hefty half hour to the show with extra dialogue, dancing and even a liturgical procession. The décor itself was a kind of neo gothic, with lots of black, red, ominous lights and a mix of media including taped overdubs
And, oh yeah, there was singing as well!
Rihab Chaleb was in strong voice for her role as Carmen, leaning more on defiance than sensuality for her seduction of Don Jose, played agonizingly well by Joshua Guerrero. Kathleen O’Mara almost stole the show as the loyal, faithful and dowdy Micaela, and Liam James Karai was good in voice but not as over the top self absorbed as he could have been for the toreador Escamillo.
The multitude of dance sequences, a vignette with Micaela and Don Jose talking to his mother, overdubbed readings of letters and minds made the show go on longer than it needed, and sometimes took away from the intensity of the story. The music itself was spry and bright, with the climactic conclusion played well.
Was it the best Carmen? It was the longest. Sometimes less is more.
Carmen plays through November 7
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