Opera Australia's Carmen doesn't follow the rules and it works

Opera Australia's Carmen doesn't follow the rules and it works

Opera Australia
Joan Sutherland Theatre, Opera House

Bizet took the unsentimental directness of Prosper Merimee’s short novella, Carmen, and infused it with incendiary energy and swirling musical colour. In their 2016 production, revived here, director John Bell and designers Michael Scott-Mitchell (set) and Teresa Negroponte (costumes) magnify the colour, piling outrageous tone on incongruous pattern until, like Carmen, the very clothing seems to scream, ‘‘As you can see, I don’t follow the rules. If you don’t like it, you had better stay away’’.

Veronica Simeoni as Carmen.

Veronica Simeoni as Carmen.Credit:James Alcock

Instead of Seville, the setting references Havana (not inappropriately for an opera whose most famous number is a Habanera) where ‘freedom’ is double-coded as ‘lawless’, and ‘attraction’ has its flipside in ‘betrayal’. Kelley Abbey’s choreography (revived by Amy Campbell) draws from the over-sexualised lithe hedonism of modern pop videos with additional breakdancing gusto from a young teenage troupe.

As Carmen, the rich colour of Veronica Simeoni’s mezzo soprano sound was, not surprisingly, more nuanced, and, vocally, fully equal to the role’s expressive range and complexity. From the sensuousness of Act I, incendiary eroticism of Act II, dark fatalism of Act III and fierce defiance of Act IV, she moulded tone and phrase to the setting point, and, in later acts, matched this with dramatic intensity which grew as the performance progressed. Her entrance in Act I was well-sung though in stage presence not quite smouldering, but every later encounter grew in fiery intensity.


Roberto Aronica, as Don Jose, was not quite settled in pitch in Act I where the voice was a little unvaried as though not warmed up (and let’s be frank, Sydney’s air has not been exactly voice-friendly during the rehearsal period). After interval, however, the tone found its groove with forceful power in the climactic moments of Acts III and IV. Dramatically the production makes little attempt to soften his brutality towards women. Inverting gender stereotypes, he is a character to whom things happen, and he has no way to respond except through impulsive violence.

As Micaela, Claudia Pavone sang with a voice of great natural attractiveness, rewarding purity and openness of tone. She shaped her scenes with reserve and discreet poise. From the vocal perspective Lukasz Golinski as Escamillo seemed a little strained in the lower part of the voice, and the toreador song lacked firmness and swagger.

In terms of ensembles, the quintet of Carmen, her friends Frasquita (Sharon Zhai) and Mercedes (Agnew Sarkis) and the smugglers Dancairo (Alexander Hargreaves) and Remendado (Virgilio Marino) in Act II was outstanding for its lightness and precision, these four creating the frisson of danger and social emancipation with deft humour.

Although the opera starts in a mood of summer afternoon lassitude, the male chorus at the start seemed slightly too becalmed, but the full chorus burst into life later on to provide the effervescent background on which the tragedy unfolds. Conductor Christian Badea worked with the Opera Australia Orchestra to draw warmth expressive support beneath the gaudiness above.

Until March 26.