“Carmen “ on Cockatoo Island. ‘Unforgettable and a must see’ says Victor Grynberg

Carmen is probably the most played opera around the world.

Remarkable if you take into account that when premiered in 1875 the audience seemed to hate it. And when composer Georges Bizet died three months later, he went to his grave thinking he’d written a flop.

A couple of years later productions in Vienna and London changed everyone’s assessment of this piece.

So popular did it become over the years that it led to the 1943 Broadway musical Carmen Jones in a completely different setting and with new lyrics (in English of course ) by acclaimed lyricist Oscar Hammerstein 11.

I remember well seeing the 1954 film version of this musical starring Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge.

Many readers will be familiar with the two biggest hits , the Toreador song, changed to “Stan’ up and Fight” and the Habanera changed to “Dat’s Love”.

But as a classical opera the story normally remained set in Seville ( the setting for more than 100 Operas), where Carmen worked with her many colleagues in a tobacco factory.

OA choosing to put their first ever production on Cockatoo Island the traditional setting was not exciting enough for now retired Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini. Covid has delayed this staging for a couple of years, but fortunately OA never put this in the too hard basket. I can see Lyndon travelling around the world inspiring other opera companies to restage his concept all over the place. Bravo Lyndon.

Though the music and arias remain  traditional the setting now could be anywhere, and timeless, as long as there are motor bikes to  help give this production the so-called Rock’n Roll effect.

I’ve visited over 60 countries during my life, but despite being born in Sydney, I (like many of the first night audience ) had never been to Cockatoo Island before. Just a short ferry ride from King St Wharf , with plenty of food and drink to make a real evening of the spectacle. And what a spectacle it is. Starting with stunt motor cyclists thrilling the capacity crowd and a fabulous set with outstanding lighting is brilliantly used to tell the story.

I’ve seen outdoor operas staged in many countries, but as the classic song says about Opera Australia, nobody does it better.

During this season the lead roles alternate but I’d be confident that no matter which night you attended, and I do urge you not to miss this, the leads will be wonderful

We had Carmen (yes that’s really her first name ) Topciu, the Romanian born Mezzo in the lead role, and as we’ve come to expect, she sang and performed excellently. A leading lady who captures the spirit of Carmen perfectly and draws the audience to her.

As her first lover in the story, the troubled soldier Don Jose , there was Italian tenor Roberto Aronica who we had previously admired a few years ago in Sydney when he played the same role. No surprise that OA had invited him back for this very important production. The alternate Don Jose will be everyone’s favourite Mexican, local favourite Diego Torre.

In terms of Operatic quality the pick of a very talented group was expatriate Australian bass Daniel Sumegi as the Toreador. His voice is as good a bass as you will hear anywhere, and his acting, critical in this role, is of the same high quality.

The forlorn character of Micaela, the would be  girlfriend of Don Jose was sung by local soprano Danita Weatherstone. Suffice to say of her quality that early next year she will be singing the lead role of Mimi in La Boheme for OA. Based on her excellent performance here I can’t wait to see her again.

The support singers are also excellent, as are the  marvellous Chorus, who  display amazing athleticism to a far greater degree than in any previous production.

The dancers were similarly brilliant.

Opera is music first and foremost, so though we didn’t get to see them at the end, something that does happen at the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, we should acknowledge the beautiful playing of the Orchestra  under the baton of much acclaimed conductor Tahu Matheson.

A production as extensive and demanding like this needs a huge array of technical and support staff. Bravo therefore to lighting designer John Rayment, set and costume designer Mark Thompson, choreographer Shannon Burns, all co-ordinated perfectly by director Liesel Badorrek .

She is a lady of great talent who clearly is disturbed by the final scene of Carmen and  therefore puts a warning sign on screen.

Actually an important message as in too many plays and operas in the past there was unacceptable violence against women. Notwithstanding this , the magic of sitting outdoors at Cockatoo Island  definitely makes it a must-see production.

5 Stars

CARMEN on Cockatoo Island

November 25th 2022

Season till December 18th