OPERA Nice and Bizet does it

BIZET LISTENING Hold the castanets, close up the fans: WNO’s box-fresh new Carmen sees our girl relocated to 1970s Central America, in a production updated for the #MeToo generation

By Lissie Warren Photos by Bill Cooper

Sex, murder, cracking tunes and opera’s most fatale of femmes: it’s not hard to fathom Carmen’s enduring popularity. 1n the W67¼s new production, our girl¼s still a total minx, Habenera’s still a belter; but the opera has been transplanted from 19th-century Andalucia to 1970s Central America. There’s an enhanced dance element, and a woke interpretation rooted in social injustice and perceptions of gender, and – oh, let’s just have director Jo Davies explain it all…

Jo, what’s different about your Carmen? Traditionally, Carmen is portrayed as overtly sexualised ; a dancer who behaves provocatively in order to seduce men. Our approach is to try to subvert this image in a contemporary sense, and rebel against this classic notion of the femme fatale. We ask, what would drive a woman to behave in this way towards men' We¼re interested in looking at +armen¼s economic status, and how her traditional wild spirit and energy is informed by a need to survive. She is operating within a patriarchal system that has trapped many young women of her age and class into a factory, working for a minimum wage with no prospects. She has no money, no education and no social standing – so she uses her looks and sex to improve her economic situation, and is unabashed by it.

Why did you move the setting to South America? We felt that it was too easy to romanticise the traditional notion of sunny Spain, with oranges, fans and castanets. Instead we were keen to create a sense of community which would be at odds with the military presence traditionally depicted in the opera.

We started to explore the history of *rabilian favelas, that were overseen and controlled by the military during the 1970s, and felt that building our ideas around this setting would allow for the audience to connect with the hardships with which +armen and her community wrestle. We wanted to highlight the tension between community and state, and reÆect the truly hostile environment in which Carmen lives.

Can you tell us a bit about the character of ‘your’ Carmen? She’s a woman who knows what she wants, and knows how to get it. There are parallels between her forthright and determined energy with

the #MeToo movement; but I wouldn’t necessarily describe Carmen as a feminist. Her cause is always herself, rather than women’s rights per se. She’s a survivor and an opportunist.

For inspiration, we looked at other strong women who use their sexual power and have wit and wildness in their spirit. Maybe Beyoncé for her strong female persona, and perhaps Villanelle, but without the violence. But there is only one Carmen…

Why is this such a popular opera? 1 find its enduring popularity particularly interesting, especially when you consider that when the opera first premivred it was a dismal failure. Even if you have never seen Carmen, you will be surprised at how familiar the music is. It’s a staple of global popular culture. I think the early response in 1875 was actually a reaction to how unique the opera is. Audiences were not used to seeing a lead female character with such power and authority, despite her having no social standing. These audiences had never seen a heroine like Carmen before. The opera was very much ahead of its time.

Tell us about the dancing… There’s always been a big focus on dance in this opera; it’s partly because of the bohemian gypsy energy within Carmen’s wild spirit.

Carmen dances in front of Don José, she also dances for the soldiers and there¼s the physicality of the bullfighting. We wanted this strong physicality to be an integral part of the story – we were keen that those moments didn’t feel isolated and were truly integrated into the piece and that they felt part of the world.

Will this appeal to both regular opera fans and those new to opera? Carmen is arguably the best introduction to opera for newcomers, with iconic music and an engaging story. Our contemporary interpretation will also provide an intriguing update for those more familiar with the opera, while continuing to celebrate the strengths of its traditional elements, which have enjoyed a universal appeal for decades.

WNO’s Carmen plays Bristol Hippodrome on 11 and 13 March www.atgtickets.com; www.wno.org.uk

OH, AND ABOUT THAT NEW DANCE ELEMENT WE MENTIONED…

Movement director Denni Sayers set out to create a fusion dance style, mixing such Latin American dance styles as tango, lambada and salsa. He found the perfect performers in Latin and ballroom champion Carmine de Amicis, and flamenco and contemporary dancer Josie Sinnadurai.

“Bizet’s score is not a Latin score, so it’s more about creating atmosphere than a particular dance,” says Denni. “In South America, you don’t have to be a professional dancer to know how to dance. You step up and you have your cultural rhythm and you just get on with it – it’s more a social thing.”

“There is something about the attack of flamenco which is shared with the Latin dances, even though the dance steps are very different,” says Josie. “Moving the show to South America does give it another aspect – it’s saying this story could have happened anywhere, rather than pinning it down to Spain. Carmen is usually known as the ‘Spanish opera’ so the country becomes really important while other operas are known more for their story. Moving it to another setting contributes to it feeling more like a real story with real people.”