BIZET'S CARMEN / Singapore Lyric Opera / Review

 

BIZET’S CARMEN 

Singapore Lyric Opera 

Victoria Theatre 

Friday (25 April 2025)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 28 April 2025 with the title "Stripped down Carmen buoyed by pleasing leads".

When the Singapore Lyric Opera (SLO) last mounted a production of Georges Bizet’s Carmen in 2011, times were very different. It was then the only opera company in Singapore with a proven track record, but its primacy has diminished with the rise of younger opera companies which have been equally serious in their missions. 

Photo: Singapore Lyric Opera

For its 35th anniversary year, SLO fell back on this old favourite as its only major production. Directed by Nancy Yuen as a semi-staged opera, it was decidedly low budget but had high production values. Accompanied by SLO Chamber Orchestra conducted by Joshua Tan, the music came first before all else, and this was what truly mattered. 

Photo: Singapore Lyric Opera

The Singapore debuts of three French singers, Mathilde Ortscheidt in the titular role, Samy Camps as Don Jose and Edwin Fardini as Escamillo, were instant hits. Ortscheidt’s Carmen, standing out in her bright red outfit, was the real thing – attitudinous and seductive. This was in marked contrast with the brow-beaten Don Jose, whose pathos was well portrayed by the heavily-tattooed Camps. 

Carmen’s famous Habanera, about a bird that refuses to be constrained, and Jose’s Flower Song were the easily recognisable solo arias to which the opera successfully pivoted around. Their chemistry sizzled, pitting Carmen’s contempt opposite Jose’s haplessness. 

Photo: Singapore Lyric Opera

In between them, Escamillo was the coolest dude in flared pants, and one has seldom encountered a more laid-back version of the Toreador’s Song thought possible. In this production set in Singapore of the 1960s, he was a boxer operating in one of those amusement Worlds, rather than a bullfighter. 

Photo: Singapore Lyric Opera

Nostalgia ruled, and one will be tickled by the period costumes, reminiscent of those worn by the cast and extras of local television series Growing Up. Crowd scenes involving the SLO Adult and Children’s Chorus (Terrence Toh, Choirmaster) were good fun, especially spotting the Ah Bengs, Ah Lians, samsengs (hoodlums) and matas (police) among them. 

Photo: Singapore Lyric Opera

The close of the second act, with all the singers heroically proclaiming their independence (a la Les Miserables), seemed a tad puzzling. Who and what were they trying to be independent of? The British, Malaysia or the ruling political party? It was something worth pondering, given the proximity of the looming General Elections. 

While the French threesome shined, they were well-supported by a cast of Southeast Asian and local singers. Filipina soprano Nerissa De Juan was a rare find as the virtuous Micaela, while Cherie Tse (Frasquita) and Priscilla Fong (Mercedes) lit up the stage as Carmen’s sidekicks. 

Photo: Singapore Lyric Opera

The third act’s card-playing scene involving the three ladies was particularly poignant, laying out their divergent fortunes. Two will discover love and lucre, while Carmen will find only death, a premonition for the final act to come. Kee Chun Kiat (Remendado), Edward Kim (Dancaire), Jermyn Leong (Captain Zuniga) and Li Yizhe (Morales) completed a close to perfectly-assembled ensemble. 

There were minimal sets, but that was part and parcel of this production, and all power to the SLO.