New York Lyric Opera Theatre's Carmen
Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space |
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Carmen: Performed in French with English Narrations. Concert version performed with piano accompaniment. Act I. Outside in a busy square in Seville in the 19th century. Micaela, a peasant girl, enters, looking for the corporal Don Jose. Morales, a sergeant, tries to persuade her to stay, explaining that Don Jose will be returning soon, but she rushes off. As Don Jose enters Morales gives him the message that Micaela was looking for him. Don Jose explains to Zuniga, a lieutenant, that Micaela is a 17 year old orphan who has been brought up by his widowed mother. A factory bell is heard. A group of gypsies working at the cigarette factory emerge. Carmen enters. All of the men are transfixed upon her, but Don Jose pays no attention. Before leaving, Carmen throws a flower at him, then returns to work. As Micaela enters, he quickly picks up the flower and hides it from her. Micaela is bringing him a letter from his mother along with some money. In the letter, his mother urges him to marry Micaela. Suddenly, a fight breaks out in the factory between Carmen and another girl. Zuniga orders Don Jose to arrest Carmen. Bewitched by her, Don Jose agrees that he will let her escape and then will secretly meet her at Lillas Pastias Inn. After allowing her go, Don Jose is arrested.
Act II. Lillas Pastias Inn. Carmen is visiting with her friends Frasquita and Mercedes. Zuniga is there. He mentions that Don Jose has been released. As Escamillo, a bullfighter, enters the inn, his fans celebrate his recent victories. Both Zuniga and Escamillo are smitten by Carmen. Zuniga tells Carmen he must leave but he will return shortly. Ramendado and Dancairo, two smugglers, are also at the inn. They try to persuade Carmen, Frasquita and Mercedes to smuggle some contraband, but Carmen is in love. She decides to wait for Don Jose. When he arrives, Carmen is very happy and begins to dance for him. In the distance, the bugle call can be heard signaling him to return him to his barracks. He begins to leave, but Carmen mocks him. She tries to persuade him to live the free life of a gypsy. Zuniga returns to the inn looking for Carmen. Overcome with jealousy, he defies his duty. The smugglers escort Zuniga from the inn. Don Jose has no choice but to stay with the gypsies.
Act III. The smuggler's hideout hidden in the mountainside. Carmen is growing tired of Don Jose. She urges him to go home, but he refuses. Frasquita and Mercedes begin reading each other's fortunes with a deck of cards. Carmen takes her turn with the cards but to her horror, her fortune keeps showing that she will die and so will Don Jose. The gypsies leave in order to smuggle the contraband while Don Jose stays behind to guard the camp. Micaela arrives at the mountain in search of Don Jose. Escamillo arrives at the camp looking for Carmen. He and Don Jose begin to fight. The gypsies return and break up the fight. Escamillo invites the gypsies - Carmen in particular to his upcoming bullfight in Seville. In the darkness, Don Jose sees Micaela. She convinces him to return home. After hearing that his mother is dying, he leaves, despite his intense jealousy. Don Jose warns Carmen that they will meet again.
Act IV. The Arena where a bullfight is taking place. Arriving with Escamillo, Carmen is warned by Frasquita and Mercedes that Don Jose is there. She waits to speak with him. When he appears, Carmen tells him there is nothing left between them and that she no longer loves him. He refuses to believe this. He tells her that he still loves her-that he adores her. As she begins to walk away, he begs her not to leave him, but to no avail. The cheers at the bullfight can be heard in the background. She tells him that she is in love with Escamillo. You can hear the cheers of victory for Escamillo in the distance. Walking toward the arena, she throws his ring at him. In his jealous rage, he stabs her to death. Leaving the arena, the crowd is shocked by what has occurred. Don Jose surrenders repeating, "my Carmen, my Carmen, how I adored her".
