La Tragédie de Carmen
Performance Date: July 20 in Norton Memorial Hall
Almost 100 years after the premiere of Bizet’s Carmen, visionary director Peter Brook transformed the grand opera into a gritty 90-minute theatrical tour-de-force. Stripped down to the story’s four central characters, and including all of Bizet’s beloved melodies, this groundbreaking adaptation packs a surprising punch.
Content Advisory: This production includes adult content- sexual intimacy, and themes of violence- and may not be suitable for children under the age of 13.
MUSIC BY
Georges Bizet
ADAPTED BY
Peter Brook
WRITTEN BY
Jean-Claude Carrière
COMPOSED BY
Marius Constant
STAGE DIRECTOR
Chía Patiño
CONDUCTOR
Steven Osgood
PERFORMED IN
French with English supertitles
ESTIMATED RUN TIME
1 hour and 25 minutes
The Artists
Monique Galvão
Lili Juyeon Yoo
Louis Tiemann
Tshilidzi Ndou
About the music
Bizet’s original version of Carmen had been a flop when he suddenly died at the age of 36. A posthumous revision eliminated Bizet’s spoken dialogue and turned it into the “grand opera” that has become a repertoire staple. Winner of the 1984 special Tony Award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre, La Tragédie de Carmen reorganizes the score and returns it to a contemporary version of Bizet’s original. Marius Constant’s orchestration draws on a compact ensemble of 17 players and shines a new light on some of opera’s most familiar music.
