The reviews are in, and our reimagining of The Tragedy of Carmen is a critical success! Check out the reviews below and video by the Union Tribune to see how the team dusted off a classic in service of creating an evocative, controversial, current, and powerful operatic experience.
Director: Alexander Gideon
Costume Design: Adam Alonso
Scenic Design: Adam Alonso & Yuki Izumihara
Projection Design: Yuki Izumihara
Lighting Design: Johnny Garofalo
“The production’s design — particularly Adam Alonso’s time-bending costumes, John A. Garofalo’s lighting and Yuki Izumihara’s digital projections — is creative, and conductor Christopher Rountree drew a spirited performance of Bizet’s classic score from the San Diego Symphony musicians.”
“Izumihara’s (and Alonso’s) aptly minimal stage design fit well Brook’s pared-down aesthetic. The pile of detritus out of which Carmen climbed at the opening of the opera could have come from that nearby quarter of downtown where our homeless citizens camp out. Adam Alonso’s extravagant, eye-popping costumes contrasted superbly with Izumihara’s grunge-inspired hues. And the stunning digital video designs that glowed across the back of the stage—joint concepts of Izumihara and Alonso—aptly captured in bright hues and vivid abstract patterns the emotional quotient of the opera’s action at that time.”