The Marionettes Chorale's presentation of Carmen, the opera, is a musical extravaganza of gaiety and intrigue that catapults into an expected but terribly dramatic climax. Additionally, it is also one of the best theatre productions so far this year. The highly anticipated opera, which held its opening night on Saturday, saw masterful performances from every one of its 100-plus cast members. The opera is a musical tale of a young woman, Carmen, played by Candice Alcantara, who is as sensual as she is dangerous. She comes off a bit selfish as she steals the heart of corporal Don Jose (Marlon De Bique) from his young love interest, only to later drop him for the virile and handsome bullfighter Escamillio (Marvin Smith).
Admittedly there is a lot that happens during the tale and spurning Don Jose could have been a result of his jealous and obsessive nature but Carmen certainly isn't blameless. In fact, a good description for her would be a saucy gypsy temptress who, according to one of her love interests Escamillio, does not keep a lover for more than half of a year. Escamillio himself is portrayed with a charming but arrogant swagger. And though De Bique's character very genuinely appears the victim, he also somehow appears the fool. It is always cause for applause when the lead actors of a production deliver flawless performances. In Carmen, the entire cast delivers flawless performances, from the adorable and vibrant members of the youth chorale to the male cast member wiping his mouth on the gypsy woman's skirt as Don Jose attempts to fight his commanding officer.
Every detail of the setting is realistic and does not feel staged in any way. They didn't miss a beat or a detail in this timeless production. Alcantara's portrayal of Carmen was definitely the show-stealer, filled with hip sways, eye-rolling and comedic facial expressions. More than that, though, like De Bique, Smith, and Feryal Qudorah, who played lovestruck youth Micaela, it was also natural and believable. Like the onstage cast, the orchestra set the mood remarkably, during and in between scenes. The music itself is very familiar and finding yourself asking "where do I know that song?" is a definite possibility. The tale itself is easy to relate to as love triangles and complicated love surround us and so Carmen may feel very familiar to our lives. The Marionettes Chorale's Carmen, runs for five shows on weekends until July 17.