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Passion for opera
There's grand opera and there's light opera. And then there's Carmen.
It has the drama, passion and tragedy of grand opera, and also the colour, wit and singable tunes of light opera: something for all tastes, in fact.
It was an ambitious project for Matlock Musical Theatre, but they almost filled the Pomegranate for four performances, so it was clearly a good choice.
There were times when the adult chorus could have done more than stand in a row; but Bizet's dramatic music is pretty demanding and they attacked it with a will.
The junior chorus augured well for the future; if they're growing their own company, it promises to be a lively one.
Visually the entire show was striking, with colourful costumes (especially the final scene at the bullfight) and beautiful sets. The pauses for scene-changing were long enough to make the audience restless, but it was worth the wait.
Andrew Lockwood's soaring tenor voice and Sarah Potts's pretty coloratura soprano were well suited to the complex songs of Don Jose and Micaela; and if Richard Potts was a tad too mature for Escamillo, he took the famous Toreador's Song in his stride.
Best of all, Jo Howland was born to play the hip-swinging, hair-tossing gypsy girl with attitude and ideas above her station. She gave it her best shot, and Jo's best is several cuts above the average.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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