The Opera Workshop at Missouri Western State University is presenting “La Tragédie de Carmen.”
It’s a 90-minute version of Bizet’s famous “Carmen,” adapted by famed stage director Peter Brook. It will be presented without intermission and in its original French, with English surtitles.
“‘Carmen’ is a very big opera, with a huge cast and chorus, and Brook was looking for a way to do the show in his small, intimate theater in Paris,” said Dr. Susan Carter, associate professor of music and director of the production. “So he went back to the novella on which Bizet based his opera and stripped it down to its essentials, with a cast of four singers and three actors. All of the famous music that people recognize even if they’ve never been to the opera remain, but ‘La Tragédie de Carmen’ is more intimate, challenging and direct.”
The performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 3 at the Restoration Church, 117 Francis Street in downtown St. Joseph.
Suggested donations for admission are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.
The venue for Missouri Western’s production will provide its own “unique theatrical experience,” Dr. Carter said. Restoration Church meets in a former warehouse and natatorium (indoor swimming pool) that church members are restoring to a public space where people can experience and appreciate the city’s unique history.
“From the outside the building doesn’t look like much, but when you go inside, it’s huge,” Dr. Carter said. “I fell in love with the space. What they are doing there is truly phenomenal. We’ll have seats arranged in a semi-circle so everyone is very close to the action.”
A 10-piece orchestra conducted by Dr. Matthew Edwards, director of keyboard studies, will accompany a talented cast, including:
Carmen: Kaitlyn Christian, senior music major of St. Joseph
Don José: Donovan Jones, senior music major of Tarkio, Missouri
Micaela: Lauren Bergman, junior music major (Friday/Sunday) and Sarah Waters, 2014 music graduate (Saturday), both from St. Joseph
Escamillo: Dr. Eric Angerhofer, voice and musical theatre faculty
Zuniga: Thomas Delgado, junior theatre and cinema major from Kearney, Missouri
Lillas Pastia: Deir Montiel, junior education major from Mexico
Garcia: Turki Alqahtani, graduate student from Saudi Arabia