Lyric Opera Presents CARMEN Opera Review

Lyric Opera Stages CARMEN with Perfect Touch

Lush as the music, lighting design, and set are in this Lyric Opera production opening to Act III of Bizet’s Carmen, they are always secondary to Carmen’s live-free-or-die character. She is the wild bird of love, un oiseau rebelle, that J’nai Bridges sings of when she makes her grand entrance in Act I. From a workplace brawl to one or another love of short duration, and her enduring choice to live on the wild side, Carmen is both mistress of and mastered by her passions. Without opera glasses, most of us in the audience can’t see Bridges’ eyes flare, but we know they often do. It takes only one hip pivot to suggest to this reviewer that Bridges was born to play this role.

The moon and mountainscape opening to Act III is but one moment of many when Lyric’s skillful confection of stagecraft, superb acting, and vocal performance highlight this exquisite opera score, in this writer’s opinion. We are transported from the very first moment — when the ensemble in a freeze frame of shadow comes alive in a light’s blink — to the story’s end, when Carmen is stabbed like the wild bull in the arena off stage. Along the way, the audience especially revels in South African soprano Golda Schultz’s aria as she sings the part of Carmen’s foil, the good girl Micaëla, eliciting bravas and loud applause of appreciation. As ever, it takes only one glance at the almost sepia-toned program book image of Castronovo to know you are going to get a classic performance. Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly the Chicago Children’s Choir) also bring their angelic sound to this production. Choreographer Stephanie Martinez has a goldilocks touch, spicing the story with dance moves that never cross a line into distracting from the story’s arc.

You, too, will likely leave the opera hall with a walking-on-air lilt to your step.

Carmen is a top pick for opera newbies and diehards alike.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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CREATIVE TEAM:

Conductor - Henrik Nánási
Director - Marie Lambert-Le Bihan
Set Designer - Robin Don
Costume Designer - Robert Perdziola
Lighting Designer - Chris Maravich
Chorus Master - Michael Black
Children’s Chorus Master - Josephine Lee
Choreographer - Stephanie Martinez++
Assistant Choreographer - Noelle Kayser+
Ballet Mistress - August Tye
Wigmaster & Sarah Makeup Designer - Hatten
Assistant Directors - Jordan Lee Braun
Stage Manager - Sandra Zamora
Stage Band Conductor - Stefano Sarzani
Musical Preparation - Susan Miller Hult

Keun-A Lee
Noah Lindquist
Jerad Mosbey
Stefano Sarzani

Ballet Accompanist - Greg Smith
Prompter - Susan Miller Hult
Fight Director - Nick Sandys
Intimacy Director - Samantha Kaufman
Projected English Titles - Scott A. Heumann
Paul Hopper
Roger Pines
(spoken dialogue)