Opera Colorado’s minimalist ‘Carmen’ provides maximum impact

DENVER — It’s not quite a “concert” performance, but it comes close.

Opera Colorado’s production of Bizet’s “Carmen,” which opened Saturday at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, is filled with passionate acting and dancing, not just singing. But the decision to place the orchestra onstage greatly minimizes the actual “staging.” Even though the pit is covered, the conductor and the ensemble still take up most of the space, and remain the center of gravity throughout.

The chorus, not in costume and singing with scores in hand, is placed at the back on risers. Thus, these singers almost have the function of a Greek chorus rather than being actual characters. Always excellent under chorus master John Baril, they adapt well to their unusual role, especially in the huge and famous choral number that begins Act IV.

There is virtually no set, and even props are kept to the most essential. A few scenes lose some of their effectiveness, most notably the cigarette factory fight in Act I, but such scenes as the smugglers’ mountain camp in Act III or the bullfight arena in Act IV come surprisingly alive in the imagination of the viewer. The effect places the leads in sharp relief and focus.

Mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy plays the extraordinarily demanding title role with shattering impact. From the famously seductive Habanera and Seguidilla in Act I, through the virtuosic Bohemian Dance and Castanet Song in Act II, Eddy is sensual and intoxicating. Not only is her voice luxuriantly radiant, she effortlessly combines magnificent singing with spectacular dancing. The character’s shift to defiant acceptance of her fate and assertion of her independence is extremely believable through Eddy’s portrayal.

Tenor Adam Klein, added late to the cast when headliner Jay Hunter Morris was forced to cancel due to illness, displays both pathetic vulnerability and frightening menace as Don José, the soldier who falls prey to Carmen’s charms and then becomes her predator. Klein’s vocals are assured and powerful, and he has a magnetic chemistry with Eddy. The “Flower Song” in Act II is just as it should be — threatening and romantic. Klein’s French diction is impeccable.

Soprano Janai Brugger, as José’s jilted fiancée, the pure and guileless Micaela, had the audience enraptured with the astonishing purity and beauty of her voice, especially in the big Act III aria. It was impossible not to feel disgust at Don José when, after Micaela has braved great danger to reach him, throws himself at Carmen right in front of her.

Baritone Ryan Kuster possesses a swaggering virility in the role of Escamillo, the bullfighter to whom Carmen turns when she becomes bored of José. The character has the most famous of all the opera’s many great tunes, and Kuster’s delivery does not disappoint.

The secondary roles in “Carmen” are unusually significant, and Opera Colorado makes fine use of its young artists in these roles. Colleen Jackson and Louise Rogan are delightful as Carmen’s gypsy friends. Jared Guest and Brett Sprague make the very most of their stage time, hamming it up as a pair of smugglers. Benjamin Sieverding has a surprising depth as José’s captain Zuniga, whose murder at the hands of José is not in the original libretto, but works well here.

For the second year in a row at OC, conductor Robert Wood shows his command of the French operatic repertoire, making a heroic effort from center stage, as do his players. He excels at the difficult task of following singers who are placed behind him.

Director Kathleen Belcher’s concept of placing the action in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, instead of the original 19th-century setting, is effective without being obtrusive, and she does an admirable job maintaining interest without the aid of elaborate sets and props. The production may be minimalist, but the performances are certainly not.