A new take on ‘Carmen,’ with a Caribbean twist
When Opera Orlando’s production of “Carmen” opens April 1, the story of the fiery and flirty woman whose romantic escapades end in tragedy will be in new territory: Haiti, during the tumultuous 1960s era of leader Francois “Baby Doc” Duvalier.
The opera has an international pedigree; the tale was originally set in Spain but sung in French as the famed music, which includes “March of the Toreadors,” was composed by Georges Bizet, a Parisian.
It was the French language that gave Opera Orlando the idea for the Haiti setting.
Haitian Creole is “a sister language to French,” said executive director Gabriel Preisser. Creole is the third most-spoken language in Florida, so the setting also had the potential to make the work more accessible and relevant to local audiences.
“It would give us a chance to reach out to our Haitian-American community, which we’ve never done before,” he said.
But to make the production authentic, cultural experts had to be found.
Enter choreographer Maxine Montilus and linguist Jean Elie-Gilles.
Montilus, a New Yorkbased first-generation Haitian-American, says the specific setting helps demonstrate that the story of “Carmen” is universal.
“It touches on basic human feelings, goals and emotions,” she said. “I think the cultural influence just adds another layer to it.”
She’s working with a diverse corps of dancers from the University of Florida on the production.
“I tend to do fusions of things,” she said. “You’ll see some contemporary, some Afro-Cuban, all directed to enhancing the story.”
While the singing will remain in French, ElieGilles has translated stage director Sara E. Widzer’s adapted dialogue into Creole. The Haiti native thinks the “Carmen” theme of women bucking the patriarchy to determine their own course has particular resonance in Baby Doc’s Port-au-Prince.
“The setting of ‘Carmen’ in Haiti affects the story by giving to it the zest of ‘women power,’ resilience and the attitude necessary of all the Caribbean ladies in order to make themselves respected by society,” he said, pointing to Carmen’s “rebellious strength of a woman who doesn’t obey to the patriarchal society of Spain. … That strength is what makes the Caribbean women so desirable and interesting.”
His translation, which he called “pure bliss,” involved converting the more formal French text into the more colorful Creole style, with its imagery and onomatopoeia.
“It allows the language of ‘Carmen’ to make sense for the 21st century, where women have the power of using language for the betterment of their being, social status and freedom of thinking,” said Elie-Gilles, a former director of the Haitian Creole department at University of Florida in Gainesville.
He is in Orlando to coach the performers in the language.
Montilus, who speaks Creole, has been studying Haitian folklore for more than a decade. She has made multiple visits to the Caribbean nation, which is adjacent to the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola between Cuba and Puerto Rico.
She knows many only hear of Haiti during the bad times — earthquakes, hurricanes, government corruption — but she thinks artistry can help people see beyond the negative headlines.
“People walk around with misconceptions of what Haiti is about,” she said. “I focus on sharing the beauty of the culture.”
Productions such as “Carmen” can give people the chance to see a different side of Haiti.
“Our culture often doesn’t get propped up on a stage or in opera,” she said.
That made working on Opera Orlando’s “Carmen” special: “There’s an added bonus of pulling from my cultural heritage.”
She appreciates the efforts Opera Orlando has taken to make sure the cultural aspects are done right.
“They have been very conscientious about how to implement Haitian culture into the production,” Montilus said. “They are being very mindful and thoughtful. I think that Haitian audiences will appreciate that.”
Artistic director Grant Preisser, brother to the executive director, said the emphasis on authenticity was a deliberate effort to expand the world of the art form.
“Setting this story in Haiti, allows us to take opera out of its Eurocentric trappings and celebrate the diversity of singers currently building their careers in opera,” he said.
The cast includes Briana Hunter in the title role, with Noah Stewart and Norman Garrett as her suitors, and Brittany Renee as an innocent rival.
Others on the creative team are part of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora, including Nigerian-American costume designer Kristie Chiyere Osi Shackelford and hair designer Anika Seitu.
Opera Orlando has made specific efforts to engage the Haitian community, said Gabriel Preisser, with interviews on local Haitian radio stations and collaboration with the Caribbean American Association of Central Florida and Orlando’s Greater Haitian American Chamber of Commerce.
Café Kreyol on West Colonial Drive is helping with cast meals, he said.
Montilus hopes audiences will appreciate both the commonality and uniqueness the story offers in its new setting.
“Some people may feel threatened by changes, but it’s just a window to see a culture outside their own,” Montilus said. “There’s an underlying human-ness that ties us all together. We’re more connected than people realize.”
‘Carmen’
Where: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando
When: 7:30 p.m. April 1 and 2 p.m. April 3
Tickets: $19 and up Encore: The production will be streamed online between April 16 and May 7 for a cost of $25 per household.
Info: operaorlando.org