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Carmen, revisited
September 15, 2018 , 8:00 pm
The Axelrod Performing Arts Center’s upcoming presentation of the opera “Carmen” will put a new twist on a century-old story.
Initially set in southern Spain, “Carmen” tells the story of a naïve soldier, Don José, who is seduced by the fiery gypsy Carmen. After he abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts the military, Don José loses Carmen’s love to the glamorous matador Escamillo and kills her in a jealous rage.
Under the direction of Andrea DelGuidice, Carmen is no longer the victim, nor is the setting Seville in the late 1800s; instead, it is set in New York City in the 1970s. In this staging, Carmen migrates to the United States and Don José is a returning soldier from Vietnam.
“I create my stories from the point of view of the main female character(s),” says DelGuidice. “My passion is to break the old operatic stereotype of the ‘female victim’ as seen through the eyes of men.”
The performance will be sung in French with supertitles in English.
“Carmen” will be staged Saturday, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 16, at 3 p.m. Tickets range from $35-$42 and can be purchased at axelrodartscenter.com or by calling 732-531-9106, ext. 14.