For all those who say there isn’t any culture in Binghamton, they should take a look beyond State Street. Two blocks up and one block left from State Street to be exact. If you are willing to make the 5-minute walk, you will find a very different type of scene inside a building that resembles an old movie theater .
Nineteenth century Seville actually. This past weekend, the Tri-Cities Opera held their production of the legendary “Carmen” at The Forum Theater. While the audience ranged in age, there was a large amount of college students who didn’t seem to mind the delay in the Friday night drinking ritual.
“I really enjoyed doing something different,” said Binghamton University senior Erica Narvaez. “I wasn’t so sure how I would like it, but it was cool to have the chance to see an opera, especially one that was entertaining.”
This production of “Carmen” took the classic story and added a few modern technological touches, of which there were only a few glitches. Since the music is written in French, the production added a screen above the stage translating everything into English. The opera tells the story of Carmen, a gypsy who goes through men quickly and pretty harshly. She forces a common soldier, Don Jos√É.√©, to abandon his life for her — only to consequently ditch him in favor of the flashier bull fighter, Escamillo.
The performances were so powerful, with Julie Nesrallah as Carmen, Todd Greer as Don Jos√É.√© and Soon Young Park as Escamillo, that you didn’t even need to read the prompter. In addition to their beautiful voices, each performer defined their character flawlessly in their body language and stage presence.
The supporting cast, especially the chorus of the townspeople, the gypsy group and the soldiers, were incredible. Ranging from small children to middle-aged men, their energy held the show together, even when it was moving a little slow. The tango dancers, which reopened the performance after each intermission, elicited wows from the crowd and brought you right back into the mood of the opera.
While the set changes were somewhat long, they were worth the wait. The different sets helped to explain the story even better than the translator. Showing a Seville Square, a tavern, a mountain hideout and a bullring, each set change, designed by Gary C. Eckhart, was effective in not only changing the location but the mood of Carmen and her emotional state within her relationships. When Carmen was happy, so was the scene; when she was about to move on, the scene was more depressing.
The costumes, designed by Elisa R. Richards, revolved around Carmen and the financial stature of her current lover. And finally, what would any musical performance be without the music? Led by Duane Skrabalak and Peyton Hibbitt, it did not disappoint.
This production’s quality provides a much-needed alternative option for a night without beer. Besides, the thematic content of “Carmen” is surprisingly in-line with what many BU students enjoy.
“Give the characters different names and jobs and it could be a modern chick flick,” said another student in the audience. “If they wore scrubs, it could be a musical rendition of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’”