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The Tragedy of Carmen Reviews New York Times Asbury Park Press New Jersey Star-Ledger New York Times The Lovers Are Sizzling in Seville Again October 12, 2003 By Naomi Siegel Manasquan – There is more than just the smoldering ember of a diva’s hand-rolled cigarette to spike the temperature in the Algonquin Arts Theater here these days. The Two River Theatre Company’s production of George Bizet’s opera “The Tragedy of Carmen,” stripped down and dramatically condensed by Peter Brook and translated into English by Sheldon Harnick, is a sizzle of a show – 90 X-rated minutes of fevered titillation, fiery brawls and stirring musical highlights. As a drama, Prosper Merimee’s 1845 tale of the whoring gypsy “enchantress,” hounded by the card of death, remains a stunner. Bizet’s magnificent score echoes the dotted rhythms and clattering castanets of Sevillian Flamenco, and is remarkably vivid in its portrayal of character. If, at first, one is disappointed in the limited orchestral sonority possible with only four musicians, the immediate and compelling power of Jonathan Fox’s direction and the talented young cast under the musical guidance of Jana Zielonka serve to distract. Watching Cassandra McConnell as Carmen strut her stuff makes all else fade into oblivion. Ms. McConnell is a knockout in this role. Her darkly burnished mezzo adds allure to her portrayal of the sexually hungry, emotionally scarred outcast. Aaron Serotsky’s Don Jose is hauntingly poignant. Past failures and fear of the future give this marginal soldier a sense of impotency that no measure of macho posturing can cover. Vocally, Mr. Serotsky is somewhat tested by the higher tenor demands of the role. Martin Sola as Escamillo mimes the traditional bullfighter moves with a degree of authenticity and his Toreador Song pulses with Latin fervor. As Micaela, Morgan James sings with gentle lyricism. Adding comic relief with a robust, if overlong, monologue on the lot of the innkeeper is Paulo Andino as Lillas Pastia. Vincent Lamberti completes the cast in the non-singing roles of Zuniga and Garcia. Everyone looks great in the colorful costumes of Deborah J. Caney and framed by Ray Recht’s versatile set (beautifully lit, sunrise and all, by Brenda M. Veltre) evoking the streets, tavern, mountains and corrida of old Seville. Under the influence of Merimee, Mr. Harnick has tweaked the libretto’s story line to provide a surprise twist or two that will send dramatic shockwaves. Grand opera? No, but definitely a whopping musical treat. back to top Asbury Park Press A triumphant 'Tragedy' in Manasquan Published in the Asbury Park Press 10/09/03 By Marlene Canty Correspondent The Two River Theatre Company's "The Tragedy of Carmen" is a riveting spectacle of sound and passion. Now being staged at the Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan, it is the story of the havoc one woman can wreak on a man who loves "perhaps not wisely but too well." Peter Brook's 90-minute modern adaptation of Georges Bizet's masterpiece "Carmen" is the story of a gypsy prostitute who beguiles Army Cpl. Don Jose while he is stationed at a villa in Seville. When Don Jose falls in love with her, she loses interest and discards him for a successful matador. Stripped of his commission and caught in a downward spiral, his obsession is only intensified by Carmen's rebuffs. He is prepared to kill all rivals for her affection and eventually murders Carmen herself. The fight scenes realistically staged by fight director J. Allan Suddeth and the scenic design of Ray Recht with lighting by Brenda Veltre capture the fiercely primal emotions of the story. The vivid and earthy atmospheric undertones of musical director Jana Zielonka's arrangements also help bring to life the poetic tragedy of the tale. Jonathan Fox's direction, Deborah Caney's costumes and Alexander Proira's versatile choreography provide a Mediterranean flair that heats up the stage as unrequited love gives way to unmitigated jealousy and violence. Cassandra McConnell is absolutely electrifying as Carmen, the woman for whom the term "femme fatale" must have been created. In a Habanera rhythm, she sings "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle," ("love obeys no known laws or literally, love is a rebellious bird"). Carmen is the embodiment of that bird. She is irresponsible and capricious, rude, cynical and irreverent, yet somehow irresistible in a tale of moral ambiguity in which the villainess somehow emerges as the heroine. In the end, she knows Don Jose will murder her, yet when it happens, she hardly flinches and almost seems to welcome death. Aaron Serotsky is spellbinding as Don Jose, a once moral man who studied for the priesthood in his youth and who leaves us cringing as he descends into the moral abyss. Based on Prosper Merimee's 1845 novella, the story was conceived at a time when a willful, self-possessed woman was synonymous with evil. While Bizet's opera is at times more kind in its portrayal of the title character, Merimee, deemed by some to be at best cynical toward women and at worst a misogynist, originally conceived Carmen as a character whom he likened to the devil, a siren who enticed men and led them to their doom. Brook's controversial and uncompromising 1980s adaptation is closer to Merimee's original vision of Carmen as the ruthless gypsy he intimates must be a witch. Other notable performances are Vincent Lamberti as Zuniga, Don Jose's commanding officer who strips him of rank for freeing Carmen after nearly succumbing to her charms himself; Martin Sola as Escamillo, Don Jose's main rival for Carmen; Paolo Andino as Pastia, an innkeeper and Carmen's partner in crime, and Morgan James as Micaela, the moral counterpoint to Carmen, an upright woman who Don Jose discards for the dysfunctional antagonist of the piece. This adaptation of Carmen, a French opera that takes place in Spain, has English translations by Sheldon Harnick ("Fiddler on the Roof"). Beyond the stellar performances looms the timeless music of Bizet, providing a majestic backdrop to the action of the story. It is performed by the Carmen Orchestra; Zielonka/piano, Alicia Lagger/violin, Peter Kikidakis/reeds and Darren Gage/percussion. Most notable in this production are "The Toreador's Song," Escamillo's description of the excitement and amorous rewards of being a bullfighter; the "Flower Song," Don Jose's ode about the flower, now wilted, that Carmen gave him that sustained him in prison; and the "Card Song," Carmen's accepting reaction to the prediction that she will be murdered. back to top New Jersey Star-Ledger Taking risks has its rewards Monday, October 06, 2003 by Peter Filichia Star-Ledger Staff Once again, the Two River Theatre Company takes a big risk -- and succeeds. This time, the always ambitious Manasquan-based troupe has dared to do an opera. Granted, "The Tragedy of Carmen" is an 80-minute reduction of Bizet's renowned "Carmen." There aren't dozens of performers on stage at the Algonquin Arts Center, but just six actors to play and sing seven roles. Yet if this isn't quite grand opera, it's still pretty grand on its own terms. For Jonathan Fox's production boasts superb singers and almost perfect casting. Aaron Serotsky starts the action as a confident Don Jose, but his swagger is stopped the moment he gets a look at this gypsy girl who gives him a smirk of a smile and a curt nod of the head. She, of course, is Carmen, stunningly played by Cassandra McConnell. In lyricist Sheldon ("Fiddler on the Roof") Harnick's adaptation (that Peter Brook originally directed), Carmen tells Don Jose in no uncertain terms, "If you love me, I don't love you. And if I love you, my friend, beware." Just as original librettists Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy made sure she made good on that claim, so does Harnick. Those who feel that men are fools where women are concerned will find their view vindicated by this show. Don Jose has a lovely and loyal girlfriend in Micaela, but he just can't resist Carmen. Never mind that she's just as willing to make love with Escamillo, the town's reigning toreador. Forget that she's already married. He has to have her. Considering what happens, the work could be called "The Tragedy of Carmen and Almost Everybody Else." Of course, with the show's short running time, much of the score is dropped. But the big hits -- "Habanera," "Chanson Bohemienne," and "The Toreador Song" -- are there. In addition to displaying a marvelous mezzo-soprano voice, McConnell maneuvers her way around the stage with choreographic abandon. When she needs to be seductive, she uses her legs to astonishingly erotic advantage. As the lovesick sergeant who's busted to private, Serotsky is first-class. That won't be a surprise to those who saw him master a dramatic role here in "Old Wicked Songs" last season. But who'd expect that he'd be such a smooth tenor, too? Martin Sola's baritone is just as accomplished, though he doesn't quite have the size to suggest champion toreador Escamillo. Morgan James shows a shimmering soprano as Micaela, the nice girl who finishes last. Two River's "The Tragedy of Carmen" is another example of a big thing coming in a small package. back to top