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===== Trimmer 'Carmen' packs a big punch =====

By Roy Dicks - Correspondent\\

One of Robert Weiss' earliest successes at Carolina Ballet was his "Carmen" in 2000. This colorful, evening-length work, repeated in 2002 and 2006, is back this season in a radically reworked version that focuses more squarely on the tempestuous love affair between Carmen and DonJosé.

Although the ballet clocks in at a little more than two hours (including intermissions), Weiss has cut a half-hour from his previous version, giving the piece an energetic, streamlined pace. Some scenes involving soldiers and minor characters have been shortened or deleted, but the most significant change comes for Michaëla, DonJosé's village sweetheart, now seen only in a short prologue.

Formerly grander in scope, following the plot of Bizet's opera quite closely, the work is now a more intimate study of seduction, jealousy and revenge, the story line serving more as framing device. There's still plenty of stage-filling action, enhanced by Jan Chambers' evocative sets and Deborah Newhall's striking costumes, but now the concentration is on the choreography's psychological insight and sensuality.

One of the pleasures of having ballets return is experiencing new interpretations. At Thursday's opening, Lilyan Vigo essayed Carmen for the first time, a flirtatious, spontaneous playing, with less emphasis on the character's doomed fate. Alain Molina brought out Don José's innocence and smitten responses, although later skillfully projected the character's madness in threatening Carmen over her rejection of him. Together, Vigo and Molina amply demonstrated Weiss' many clever lifts, slides and combinations, from sassy to sexy.

Marcelo Martinez's demeanor is perfect for the flashy toreador Escamillo, and his long-legged jumps and spins served the part well. As Carmen's gypsy cohorts, Jan Burkhard (Frasquita) and Erica Sabatini (Mercédès) added teasing allure, while Pablo Javier Perez, as head smuggler Dancaïre, bounced and twirled devilishly. Laura O'Brien was a lovely vision in her brief stint as Michaëla.

Another great pleasure is the musical accompaniment. Although not played live, the recording, made in Prague and conducted by Alfred E. Sturgis, is a marvelous blending of Bizet's operatic score with Sarasate's violin paraphrase, arranged by Glenn Mehrbach with some of his own additions. The score's flavor and character add immensely to the production's success.

There are alternating casts for the run, but "Carmen" can be recommended most for Weiss' intriguing rethinking of this classic story.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/03/26/1082335/trimmer-carmen-packs-a-big-punch.html#ixzz1HjZQabeG

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