After a record-breaking summer season, Opera Australia has decided to start off its winter season with a bang, picking arguably the most well-known opera, Georges Bizet’s Carmen, to delight Sydney audiences. In keeping with recent trends of Opera Australia productions, this is a daring reinvention of the work, directed by Annie-Louise Sarks, which attempts to harness the inherent theatricality of the production to open up the production to new audiences. 

The most striking way that the production is reinvented is through the set design and costuming of Marg Horwell, who is truly visionary in her work on this production. The sets are bold and audacious, drawing audible gasps from the opening night audience as the curtain lifts to reveal the scene changes. Beyond the glitzy visuals, there is very much a sense that the sets follow the narrative, with a party-like atmosphere which very much resembles the set of a megamusical transforming into a claustrophobic alleyway where the titular character meets her demise. The costumes are also gorgeous throughout the entire show, adding to the ambiance on stage. 

In concept, Sarks’ theatrical direction is fantastic, bringing new life to an opera which is more conducive to innovation than some others. In this production, this means a greater emphasis on acting, stagecraft and choreography than would typically be expected in an opera, almost resembling a musical. For the most part, this works well, with the audience responding positively to the new staging and the reimagined direction. But at times, the production struggles to pursue its new identity with conviction, with this being especially apparent in the choreography, which lacks the crispness of a theatre show, which compromises the desired effect. 

Additionally, some of the performers seem to struggle at times to balance the added theatricality with the vocal demands of the work. Danielle de Niese, one of Australia’s most lauded opera singers globally, performs solidly in her first time playing the role of Carmen, but falters a little in the “Habanera”, lacking the lyricism and stability that the song desires, with the theatricality of the song privileged a little too heavily. Some of the French accents throughout the production, especially in the recitative sections, lack a degree of authenticity. 

With that said, there are still some extraordinary vocal performances in the production, with Abraham Bretón performing with spectacular command as Don José. Jennifer Black is a strong Micaela while the rest of the Opera Australia chorus also brings life and vivacious to Bizet’s beautiful score. As always, they are perfectly accompanied by the Opera Australia orchestra, who play the famous overture with gusto and are well led by Lidiya Yankovskaya. They play magnificently throughout, giving voice to the score and enlivening the performance. 

Overall, this is a solid production which opens up a wonderful work to new audiences, which is clearly a goal of Opera Australia at the moment. However, as wonderful as this production is in concept, there are a few times when it falters in its execution, with more focus needed on the balance between bringing out the dramatic tension of the work with maintaining the beautiful vocal quality of the score. That said, this is still an exhilarating production with fantastic performances and is a wonderful visual spectacle, meaning that the production will appeal to a wide range of demographics. Definitely a production for those new to the genre and opera lovers alike!

Rating: ★★★★

Carmen plays at the Joan Sutherland Theatre until 19^th September. For more information, click here. 

All photo credits: Keith Saunders