Carmen was awesome….
Posted October 26, 2009 at 12:29 am by Ian Byington
Until you’ve seen an opera on stage, with costumes & lively people & the set & a live orchestra playing, you haven’t experienced why these shows keep coming back & coming back ver the centuries. Opera Pacifica brought their show up from Olympia and, incorporating talent from the island under choreographer & co-producer Linda Downes’ watchful eye, pulled off an incredible show Saturday night & Sunday afternoon this past weekend.
The music was conducted in the Community Theatre’s orchestra pit by Claudia Simpson-Jones (her husband, Robert, played Don José) while the show was directed by Erich Parce (his wife, Jenny, plays & sings Carmen).
While the entire ensemble had strong, expressive voices, it was Jenny Knapp who got the crowd up for a standing ovation – her Carmen was strong, sexy, and moving….you believed she was a gypsy, and you believed that the poor helpless males in the cast had no choice but to fall in love with her. Good acting + good singing made for a great show. Hope these guys come back again soon!
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Categories: Around Here
3 comments:
3 comments...
Thank you Ian,
I’m really glad you guys could make it. 🙂
I really appreciate the support from you guys….
Yes, it was a good production considering the short time we had to put it together with everyone in the theatre at Friday Harbor. But, I do take exception to the comment that was made about the “Carmen” being the reason for the standing ovation. It takes a whole cast to make a production work, no one individual should be given sole credit for the audience’s ovation at the final curtain of the opera. Everyone should be given credit, including the chorus members & orchestra for giving their best to help make it enjoyable for all!
Yes it was a good opera, but it wasn’t just Carmen who made the show. The whole cast was good and the applause was for everybody! I feel you were bias with the whole Carmen thing and didn’t give enough credit to the other singers. I am a little confused with a blond Carmen it would have been better with the dark hair in my opinion.
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