Fireworks, motorbikes and opera: Carmen on Cockatoo Island review
Even if you haven’t seen Carmen, you’re sure to recognise its standout tunes that have cemented themselves into pop culture - and you won’t want to miss its current showing on Sydney’s Cockatoo Island.
A first for the historical island, Carmen has been transported both out of its traditional theatre environment and its 18th-century Spanish setting, being reimagined with a gritty, modern aesthetic that matches Cockatoo Island’s former ship-building warehouses and preserved industrial heritage.
While leaning on a ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ theme, the vibe from both the setting - think scaffolding and piles of barrels and destroyed cars - and costuming - think modern military gear, denim, fishnets, leopard print and elements of Y2K fashion - is more reminiscent of punk, dystopia, and Mad Max, with a trio of stunt motorbike riders and fireworks as icing on the cake.
Y2K, punk, and modern military styles collide in this adaptation of Carmen to create a dystopian feel that’s disconnected from a particular time or place. Image: Prudence Upton (Supplied)
Taking Carmen out of a Spanish cultural context gives the production a more timeless feel too, with additional imagery projected behind the cast during key scenes pushing the audience to interpret Carmen and Don José’s increasingly toxic relationship with a modern lens - particularly regarding themes of violence against women and coercive control.
In a time where these issues are being talked about more openly, this shift in perspective couldn’t be any more relevant, even if it does come across in a heavy-handed way in some moments.
In a world post-#MeToo and amid growing awareness of how issues such as coercive control victimise women, Opera Australia’s production draws attention to the negative elements of Carmen and Don José’s relationship. Image: Prudence Upton (Supplied)
While many aspects of how Carmen is presented have been changed for this adaptation, the music has stayed true to the original - with one difference coming from the nature of presenting an opera outdoors.
With the talented orchestra, led by conductor Tahu Matheson, located some distance away from the main stage in an adjacent building, the music is projected using speakers.
Despite the challenging situation, which saw the conductor and singers rely on screens to see each other, the performance is just as flawless as if the orchestra were in a pit beneath the stage of a concert hall.
When combined with the minimalist scenery and miked singers, it gives the production the sense of being less like an opera and more like a musical, with the grunge aesthetic making it seem particularly similar to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats.
But this didn’t take away from the performance, with the talents of Carmen Topicu and Roberto Aronica (who share the roles with Sian Sharp and Diego Torre) as Carmen and Don José and their captivating chemistry shining through.
Bullfighter Escamillo has been transformed into a leather-clad rockstar mobbed by an adoring crowd against a backdrop of wrecked cars. Image: Prudence Upton (Supplied)
The reimagining of the bullfighter Escamillo (played by Daniel Sumegi and Alexander Sefton) as a rockstar with elements of Elvis - including an iridescent black cape - is refreshing and helps to convey his celebrity status to a modern audience and the contrast between him and the more humble corporal Don José.
Micaёla also serves as a contrasting character, with her costuming of pastels and a more conservative, housewife-esque outfit highlighting her as the innocent village girl against Carmen’s bold and more revealing outfits, as well as her strength, independence and rebellious nature.
With a cast already considered large for an opera, Opera Australia’s production has seen this number grow even more as the roles of Carmen, Don José, Escamillo, Micaёla and Frasquita are shared, with singers performing on alternate nights.
Carmen’s costuming helps to convey the contrasting nature of its key characters, such as between childhood sweetheart Micaёla (right) and fiercely independent Carmen (left). Images: Prudence Upton (Supplied)
Other updates to the opera, such as motorbikes taking on the roles of bulls at the bullfight and the use of street dance choreography throughout, are employed to create the feeling of timelessness and modernity, along with the meta nature of the set design and story, including the use of a Carmen poster as a curtain for Carmen to walk through.
All in all, Carmen on Cockatoo Island is a refreshing take on a well-known opera that is sure to be enjoyed by regulars and first-timers alike, while its modern messaging will be sure to spark important conversations among those who see it.
Carmen on Cockatoo Island will be performing Tuesday through Sunday nights from November 25 until December 18, with tickets available here.
Image: Prudence Upton (Supplied)