"Carmen - The Musical" Reviews
Review
by
Peter Phillips
for www.theatrepeople.com.au
Date
Reviewed: 28th
May 2006
Venue: Whitehorse Centre
Peter has trained in music theatre, dance and drama at the National Theatre Drama School, tap and classical singing. He appeared in Jekyll & Hyde at CLOC and in Whitehorse's Les Miserables. Other shows include Kiss Me Kate for Babirra Theatre Company, Gigi, My One and Only, Anything Goes, Singin' in the Rain, Chess, Chicago and Pippin at CLOC, and Fiddler on the Roof and My Fair Lady at Whitehorse.
‘Carmen’ as written by Georges Bizet, was a failure when it premiered in March 1875. This is said to have contributed to Bizet's untimely death, and it was not until four months later, in Vienna, that Carmen achieved its first triumph.
Carmen is based on the 1845 novella by Prosper Merimée .The centre of his story is the gypsy girl Carmen, who is a stunning, manipulative woman that leads men astray by her beauty and dancing. Her lover, Jose, is a possessive man at once besotted with her. He leaves his regiment and joins a band of smugglers with whom she is associated.
Carmen’s reluctance to commit to him after his sacrifice leads him to kill her in a tragic finale.
The opera contains tunes that are instantly recognisable. Carmen's sensuality and fatalism, Escamillo's boisterous good spirits, Micaëla's sweetness and Don José's slide into jealous madness, are all clearly articulated in Bizet's score.
Babirra’s version has an English text and spoken dialogue (as apparently had the original opera), hence the premise that this is a ‘musical’ not an ‘opera’ (a grey area indeed).
On entering the theatre, the audience was treated to a slide show of Spanish art including Picasso sketches of bullfighters etc. I thought it was effective in establishing atmosphere and was disappointed the opportunity to do like-wise through the prelude and entr’acte was missed.
As Carmen, Fiona Keys has the mammoth task of portraying this wilful, manipulative woman balanced with an earthy sensuality. Fiona has a wonderful rich mezzo voice and was certainly up to the task vocally. She was often set apart from the other women, which highlighted her isolation as a character, but it often gave her little to work off. The character came across as sullen and unsympathetic, leading you to wonder how two such men could fall under her spell. However Fiona has to be applauded for attempting such a demanding role.
Ben Logan played Don Jose, the ill-fated corporal. What a beautiful voice! The tone throughout his considerable range was reedy and warm. He tried to give the character a real desperation and display real warmth with Carmen, but the chemistry between the leads was limited and the effort fell flat. But I felt a true progression with Ben’s performance and was subsequently very impressed.
A late addition to the cast, Zac Brown made a meal of the matador Escamillo. Blessed with a wonderful rich voice and a true sense of his place on stage (his toreador song was a treat) Zac seemed to relish each scene, and carefully balanced a role (and a matador’s hat with a mind of its own!) that could have teetered into caricature.
Nicole Wallace played Micaela, the sweet family friend of Jose, and whilst her time on stage is limited, her impact is not. Nicole is blessed with a splendid soprano voice, and has a lovely persona on stage. Her character is written to contrast with that of Carmen, and did so very well. Certainly a singer to look out for. Well-done Nicole.
Special mention should be made of Jo Buckingham and Felicity Eastwood-Tromp who played Mercedes and Frasquita with real relish and sass. Nice job.
The first scene outside the cigar factory where the women work was slow, lifeless and awkward, but soon the mood changed dramatically largely thanks to a vibrant lighting plot by Jason Bovaird. Eschewing the obvious reds for a more Mediterranean palette including beautiful oranges, Jason’s work was at its best in the smoky inn scene in act one and the icy blues of the mountain-pass opening of act two. Lovely work.
Costumes were really nicely handled by Maddy Connellan. Though occasionally overly clean, the palette again consisted of earthy muddy tones. Carmen’s final gown was resplendent in red with an impressive train, and the gypsy girls’ skirts were voluminous and splendid. It would be a lovely show to costume with plenty of scope for colour and drama, and Maddy did a lovely job. Special note should be made of the amazing matador’s costume in the second act.
The set by newcomer John Lewis showed real promise. Despite a smallish stage with a low pro-arch, John created depth and height, giving production team and cast something really special to work with. If the final scene outside the bullring was overly bright and clean, this was countered by a real attempt to use the space to its fullest.
Choreography by Kerryn Lilley more than served its purpose. The obvious dancers in the cast handled their work admirably. Whilst lacking the real sensuality and drama of flamenco, the chore was a nice mix of the obvious and the classic.
Ensemble work improved greatly through the show, probably because they are given more interesting things to do as the show progresses. They seemed to really enjoy themselves and I especially liked the women’s commitment to their roles, despite sounding a bit anaemic early in the piece, and I always like seeing older men in an ensemble. Well done.
Sound by Greg Ginger was nice and unobtrusive. I thought the final duet sounded a bit ‘tinny’ but on the whole nice work.
The orchestra ably led by Basil Hawkins did a splendid job. The score is lush and rich and while the size of the orchestra can’t compare to a true opera orchestra, they achieved greatness, especially in the beautiful entr’acte
Directing an opera (or rather a musical adapted from an opera) must be difficult. There are the necessities of moving large numbers of ensemble around for the chorus pieces, so that often the chorus appears or reappears at the oddest times. But this is the nature of the beast.
Jaison Hoernel was capable of the task. My only criticism was that I wanted to see more real passion on stage, especially in the second act and death scene; it was all a bit too prim and proper. It’s a lusty, sexy story and I wanted it to get down and dirty. An inconsistency in accents was also a problem.
I would like to congratulate Babirra on yet another job well done. They attempt new pieces and seek to broaden their experience whilst remaining true to their history and their audience. I would urge anyone who hasn’t experienced Carmen before to do so with this production.
Review by Peter Kemp
for his website www.pktheatre.com.au
Babirra Music theatre opened the 2006 season with the Australian Premiere of Carmen the Musical with music by Georges Bizet.
The story is that of the opera but with dialogue and some small changes which are hardly noticeable.
If there is anyone not familiar with Carmen she is a gypsy whose beauty inflames men's passions and this story is about one man obsessed and the result of such an obsession.
The scenes were the city square, inside the Guardhouse, Lillas Pasias' Tavern, a mountain pass and outside the bullring. These sets were excellently done and gave the feeling of being on the spot.
The timing of the cast was spot on, the overall performance was excellent and the dancers were a credit to the choreographer who told your correspondent that they had not danced before.
Fiona Keys was Carmen. An amazing performance. As soon as Fiona sang the audience sat stunned at the quality of her voice. Fiona's performance was equal to her voice giving a high standard to the production. This standard was not let down by the other performers. The Corporal. Don Jose, who was stunned by Carmen and fell jealously in love with her was played by Ben Logan. Ben gave a magnificent portrayal and as Fiona his voice amazed the audience. Don Jose's fiancé Micaela was played by Nicole Wallace whose voice also reached the standard of Fiona Keys and Ben Logan.
The supporting artists and the ensemble kept up the standard set by the leads and the result was a wonderful evening of entertainment from Babirra Music Theatre.
