A Working-Class Tragedy
Two highly-visibly queer performers are in the lead roles. A butch-punk Barton wears a sheer shirt and black bra emphasizing her full figure as precisely what makes her irresistible. Blythe performs Don José in her drag king persona, which includes a tenor vocal range. This Don José is a bit older, not wiser-- more worn down and desperate, and not someone we get the feeling has ever really been fully welcome among his peers or respected by anybody.
There’s plenty of intrigue to be found in low places in Carmen. The story follows Don José falling in love with irresistible Carmen, and how he deteriorates emotionally when she becomes infatuated with a flashy bullfighter Escamillo (Michael Sumuel).
Chicago Opera Theater Posits a Queer Reimagining
Georges Bizet’s Carmen is, as Music Director Yankovskaya remarks, unusual in several regards, including its optional spoken or recitative dialogue and the amount of time it spends on a realistic psychological examination of characters who are far outside conventional tragedies. COT’s concert production omits the chorus, along with the sumptuous setting and costume designs usually associated the genre. Although the Harris Theater is a large space, this concert had a chamber-atmosphere.
