Carmen in Dayton

Hello again, opera friends. I just finished my second experience with the Dayton Opera, a production of Carmen that was a hit with both the audience and local critics. My on-stage involvement was much less than my previous experiences in Carmen (thanks to a travel schedule that prevented me from being available for the early staging rehearsals), but I also had some new opportunities.

Last spring, I was asked to update and expand the roster of Supers, so I spent some time during the summer contacting everyone on the current roster, as well as trying to make new connections through local theater groups. I was able to find only a couple new people, but was at least able to identify those who were still interested in being Supers. I also gained a better perspective on what Carrie has to go through, although she seems to have much more success than I had.

Thanks to my periodic involvement as Production Super Captain in SF, I was also asked to serve in a similar capacity for the Carmen production. I think it was a new experience for the production staff, so they did not provide as much information about rehearsal changes as I would like to have relayed to the Supers. However, I at least took some of the burden off the very busy Stage Manager (whose duties seem to include the normal Stage Management stuff, as well as Artistic Coordinator and Super Captain functions).

This is the third production of Carmen done by Dayton Opera, and the first two are referred to as "Sexy" Carmen and "Choking" Carmen. The first is self-explanatory. The second was the result of Don Jose losing his knife in Act 4, and deciding that strangulation was a suitable alternative when the score called for Carmen's demise. Unfortunately, he got a little carried away, and Carmen came off stage coughing and gagging (although she recovered in time for the next performance).

This production included former SF Adler Fellow Elena Bocharova as Carmen, a role which she has also sung with New York City Opera, and it was fun to hear the role sung by a rich mezzo voice. Elena is obviously very comfortable in the role, as she was able to instantly incorporate an on-stage miscue into her character on opening night (a water barrel was tipped over just before her entrance from the cigarette factory), by splashing petulantly through the unexpected pool of water.

Don Jose was sung by Thomas Rolf Truhitte, a tenor who generally sings Wagnerian roles, and thus brought a more powerful voice to the role than is typical. Thomas came up through Opera San Jose, and has performed with Seattle Opera. Escamillo was sung by Carlos Archuletta, with most of the smaller role handled by recent graduates of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (where Sandy Bernhard is currently in charge).

My favorite singer was Megan Monaghan as Micaela. She has been described as having a “voice of pure silver,” and she recently sang the role of Gilda in Rigoletto, so it was almost a bit of luxury casting to have her sing such a relatively small role in Carmen. I was her Guide in Act 3, so I was able to listen to that aria from close range. She was also very approachable and easy to work with, which are traits I’ve noticed in all the young singers used by Dayton Opera.

The Stage Director was Michael McConnell, who also directed the production of Tosca shortly after I moved to Dayton this year. Mike is very detail oriented, and he makes it a point to give everyone on stage something to do. Unfortunately, there is very little rehearsal time for most productions, so things always seem a bit ragged up until the final dress rehearsals. Everyone was kept almost an hour past the scheduled end of the first on-stage rehearsal (no union rules here), for the copious notes (or belated initial staging) that Mike wanted to give.

The chorus (about 36 people for Carmen, plus the kids) was given special attention in the local paper prior to opening night, with a lengthy article on their commitment. These people are recruited from all over the Dayton area, and as far away as Cincinnati. They all have full time day jobs, since they are paid barely more (about $400) than Supers in SF would receive for an entire production. They begin their rehearsals a month before anyone else, but the process seems to place most of the burden on them to learn the music in time (they are mailed a synopsis, copies of their section of the score, and a cassette tape that includes a pronunciation guide and recoding of their parts). In spite of these limitations, they consistently produce a wonderful sound on stage.

The Supers are apparently not held in the same high regard, or even recognized by the press as legitimate components of an opera. The same article mentioned that “13 additional people filling non-vocal roles” were involved in Carmen. At least the term “stage vermin” has not yet reached this area.

This was also my first production in which animals were included (not counting the small dogs and various human-costumed creatures I saw in SF). Three horses were part of the Act 4 parade, with costumed, professional handlers riding them on-stage. As the Mayor (who made an entrance at the end of the parade), I had to be extra careful in finding a route across the stage. Seems like we could have cast at least a couple Chulos.

Another new experience was the chance to mingle with the audience prior to curtain. The production team decided to have several Act 4 Supers (in their colorful and tight-fitting costumes) to welcome the patrons to Seville in the lobby. We even had some of the mounted horsemen out on the sidewalk (I guess road apples are OK on stage, but not in the lobby). As PSC, my primary duty was to make sure the Matadors stopped acting out in time to get into their Act 1 costumes, but I also decided to use the opportunity to wear my tux (along with some Mayoral accessories) for the first time since I moved to Dayton.

I almost had a minor Hammy moment during the last performance. I joined Micaela on the backstage stairs for our entrance, and she asked if I had always worn my glasses for that scene. She said they looked fine with the costume, but I'm glad I had an opportunity to get rid of them. It made me long for the codpiece I wore in Simon Boccenegra, which was a convenient place to store such items.

Our next productions will be Cenerentola and Die Fledermaus, neither of which will require many Supers, but I hope that the company will want my services as liaison again.

Have a look at a gallery of photos from Dayton Opera's Carmen.

- Bruce McNaughton