Carmen, For The Very First Time

I took my spouse Austin to see his first Carmen at the San Francisco Opera on Tuesday, advising him beforehand that there were more recognizable hit tunes in this opera than anything he had ever seen. Austin loved it and so did the sold-out audience around us. The feeling was infectious, even though this jaded old operaphile was not particularly impressed by the cast or the production. What saved it for me was Bizet's 1875 musical score itself, a true marvel that somehow never gets stale, especially in this well-conducted performance by the young Benjamin Manis, who was making his house debut.

Let's start with the problems. Francesca Zambello's production, which dates from 2006, is minimalist, well-worn, and downright ugly. The role of Micaela, the good village girl who the hero is supposed to marry, is a dull stock character but she is given two of the loveliest soprano arias in the repertory. However, debuting Welsh soprano Louise Alder's voice was distinctly unlovely and one wished she'd just go back to her village. (All production photos are by Cory Weaver.)

Act One is a tricky business to stage, with a garrison of soldiers next to a tobacco factory filled with cigarette girls, along with a children's chorus, multiple Sevilla residents, and the introduction of most of the main characters. It was a constant traffic mess and felt unconvincing in every detail.

Worst of all, the debuting French mezzo-soprano Eve-Maud Hubeaux was a dud as Carmen. For some reason, she played the character as a bullying Mean Girl, and any seductive allure was sadly absent. Musically, she was fine, but it was difficult to believe that every man wanted to throw themselves at her feet.

Let's finish with what went right. Act Two outside of Lillas Pastia's tavern was well-staged, and the dance sequence choreographed by Anna Maria Bruzzese was delightful. Bass-baritone Christian Van Horn was a relaxed, convincing stud as the toreador Escamillo, and he even got to arrive onstage on a real horse, which excited the audience immensely.

I loved tenor Jonathan Tetelman in La Traviata a couple of years ago, and enjoyed him again as the sad sack soldier Don Jose who falls under the spell of Carmencita.

The final act, which starts with a parade coming into a bullfighting ring, was actually the best staging of the evening. Though it's an awful ending, with yet another man murdering a woman because she wants to leave him, the scene felt honest and Tetelman finally let loose with the best singing of the night.

My first Carmen, by the way, was the 1981 Jean-Pierre Ponnelle production at the San Francisco Opera when it was new, starring the legendary Spanish mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza, which set me up for a lifetime of disappointment. If this is your first Carmen, you might love it like Austin too.