Carmen: A captivating opera experience at Artscape Theatre
A scene from the opera Carmen currently on at Artscape Theatre until May 31.
Image: Oscar O'Ryan
Title: Carmen
Director: Steven Stead
Starring: Nonhlanhla Yende, Lukhanyo Moyake, Vuvu Mpofu, Conroy Scott, and others
Venue: Artscape Theatre until 31 May
Rating: ★★★★★
Opera is not boring, especially not when Steven Stead is directing the show.
Theatre director Stead’s rendition of the classic opera — debuted by French composer Georges Bizet in 1875 — features Cape Town Opera (CTO) company’s talented voices and a set that enhances the storytelling without overshadowing it.
Stead places the tale in the early 1930s and “transports audiences to sun-drenched Seville where desire, jealousy and destiny collide with tragic inevitability.”
Carmen opened this week to a standing ovation at Artscape Theatre. The evening performance was the culmination of a day-long celebration of Artscape’s 55th anniversary on May 19.
It took me back the first opera I watched and disliked at this theatre— an opera. I was 16 years old and do not remember the name of the show.
Opera singer Vuvu Mpofu performs a beautiful but haunting scene in the latest version Carmen, a famous opera that debuted in 1875.
Image: Oscar O'Ryan
Thing is, opera is a niche art form. But now I do think everyone should experience at least one opera in their lifetime because the singing ability — or vocal gymnastics — of opera singers is equivalent to the talents of the greatest athletes. Not everyone can do it, and when it is done well it can mesmerise.
And that is what Nonhlanhla Yende does as Stead’s Carmen, a feisty woman torn between two men. Carmen seduces the soldier Don José (Lukhanyo Moyake) and the matador Escamillo (Conroy Scott). No prizes for guessing how this turns out.
Yende, like the other performers, is able to emote with more than just her voice. She portrays through acting, only slight hand gestures at times and her glances a whole world named Carmen. The rest of the lead actors appear similarly.
One particular scene that is near haunting is when Vuvu Mpofu as Micaëla, a woman in love with Don José, is alone on stage. In her search for Don José, she ends up surrounded by mountains that feel cold just by looking at it.
Mpofu appeals to God for protection. It is a rare monologue moment in a production with a cast of almost 100 performers, including contemporary dancers and young singers from CTO’s Children's Chorus.
Another powerful scene is when Don José begs like a dog — complete with snot en trane — at Carmen’s knees for her love. “That’s just too much,” my female guest whispered as Carmen appeared impatient and similarly unamused.
As a first opera, Carmen can be a test for a newbie to the genre, but this production is very entertaining. It is a lengthy opera with multiple intervals. A solid dinner before the show is recommended as the rest of the evening will be spent in a theatre seat.
While the show’s lyrics are in French, surtitles are projected in English and isiXhosa. Overall, it feels almost cinematic in its look and storytelling pace. Stead does not linger too long and keeps the pace moving.